


Small World, Bigger Family

by literaryelegance



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: AU where Taakitz meets via Grindr and finds out they actually work in the same building, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Coworkers as family, F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:00:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 23,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23832760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/literaryelegance/pseuds/literaryelegance
Summary: AU loosely based on a popular Grindr screenshot involving the exchange of sexual favors for a double gulp horchata from 7/11. Taako propositions Kravtiz, who accepts, and things spiral from there. Oh, also they happen to work for the same overhead company. It's a museum, and pretty much everyone else from TAZ: Balance is somehow involved.
Relationships: Barry Bluejeans/Lup, Julia Burnsides/Magnus Burnsides, Kravitz/Taako (The Adventure Zone), Lup & Taako (The Adventure Zone), Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 75
Kudos: 111





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this AU started as a joke between me and a friend, and somehow turned into a full fledged project. Other characters and ships will be added later, as the story progresses. We've got plans for how this is gonna play out, as dumb as the initial idea is. Also, you can find me on Tumblr @abracafkyou where I post some of my TAZ art. Including stuff for this dumb AU.

* _hey. soooo ur less than half a mile away and i have a proposition for u my dude. obvs its cool bc ur on grindr and idk what people think theyre trying to get out of this shit other than a hook up but w/e. anyways. cha’boy’s ridic hella thirtsy but all we have in this fucking apartment is gross ass orange soda left over from a halloween party that my pseudo brother threw last weekend. and i super do not want to drink that. barf. SO....if you go to 7/11 and get me a double gulp horchata and bring it to me ill treat you to the best blowjob youll ever experience in your life.*_

_*Is a Double Gulp the only acceptable size?*_

_*yepp. anything else and you get zilch. nada. nothing. u walk away sad and horny af and i get the disappointment of a shitty drink size and no dick in my mouth.*_

_*Text me the address.*_

_~~~~~~_

_*hey hmu if ur ever in the mood for another exchange of goods if u catch my drift*_

“Who the fuck do you keep texting today?” Lup raises an eyebrow at her brother over the coffee counter, pausing to take another sip of her latte before continuing. “I haven’t seen you engrossed in something this deep since Project Runway announced an extra season.”

“It’s nothing.” Taako was quick to retort, grinning as he tucks his phone back in the pocket of his apron. “Just--it’s Kravitz, that guy I hooked up with the other night? He brought me a horchata in exchange for a blowjob, it’s not that big of a deal.”

The latte that Lup had just guzzled down nearly chokes back up as she coughs loudly, setting the mug down in front of her. She likes to think she knows her brother pretty damn well, and as far as she knows, most people don’t really text one night stands the morning after. Or exchange sexual favors for popular drinks, come to think of it.

“I’m _sorry_ ?” She asks, once her coughing has subsided. “Back the fuck up a sec, brobro. First off, how in the name of hell did you find some guy willing to buy you a drink for a blowie? Secondly, _why the fuck are you texting him the day after?_ Isn’t that like, the fucking taboo of stranger hookups?”

“Nothing’s taboo about Grindr hookups, Lulu.” Taako rolls his eyes, leaning over the other side of the counter with his chin in his hands. “I was fucking thirsty, we didn’t have anything in the house other than like. Gross ass orange soda from that stupid Halloween party Magnus threw and decided not to take with him when he left. So I threw out a bone and caught a hit. Figured the least I could do was offer something in exchange, no?”

Choosing to ignore the fact that her brother basically just admitted to using something like Grindr on a daily basis, Lup focuses on the matter at hand instead. Like the fact that he was willing to drop to his knees for a stranger over a _horchata_ of all things. He could have at least made it something alcoholic.

“I’m not sure cheaping yourself out over a drink you could easily make yourself after a trip to the damn grocery store is an even exchange. What if the dude was hella nasty?”

“I would have taken the drink and booted him out without hesitating.” A washcloth appears in Taako’s hands as he speaks, moving to wipe the counters down again. “But it’s totally fine, because he was _super_ hot and I was super into it, so...no harm no foul when it’s a choice dick involved, right? It’s an added bonus to the fact I still got the drink out of it.”

Lup wrinkles her nose, “Okay, Koko, gross, I really don’t want to hear the skeevy details of you blowing some dude named K--OH MY GOD.”

Her voice cuts off just as her eyes widen in realization. There was no fucking way it was the same person, right? What were the fucking _chances_ that her brother was dense enough to not realize he literally worked in the same goddamn building of the guy he’d just hooked up with for a drink? Pretty high, she supposes, considering it had taken her and Barry about twelve years to get their own shit together. Maybe it ran in the family. Still, though!

“What?” Her brother is looking at her like she has two heads, pausing in his cleaning rituals to make sure his sister isn’t having some kind of weird stroke. “Lup, you look like you just had a fucking aneurysm.”

“Did you say his name was Kravitz?” Lup’s voice comes out in a complete rush, the gears already turning in her head. “As in, the fucking Kravitz that’s _literally my boss?_ The one _literally training me right fucking now? Who’s meeting me in ten minutes as we fucking speak?_ Tall, dark, and handsome? Slips into this fake ass accent every once in a while to sound all polite and shit? Probably wears a fucking three piece suits when he’s not on the clock, and is most definitely the biggest nerd I’ve ever met other than Barry?”

It was Taako’s turn to take on a shocked expression, although to his credit, it doesn’t last nearly as long as his sisters had. Sure, it was probably weird and embarrassing to most people that he’d hooked up with someone that was basically a co-worker (sort of, technically the cafe was only operated by the museum as a way to bring in extra cash, but by all means it was still his), without realizing it at the time. But it wasn’t like Taako really went out of his way to get to know everyone that worked there, anyways. 

He’d gotten Lup and Barry jobs after they’d fallen down on their own luck for a bit, but aside from the two of them, he couldn’t really give a shit about the rest. Well, Magnus sort of counted, but he was an outside contractor, and didn’t really work _for_ the museum. He was still in the group chat though.

Oh. Yeah. The group chat. Huh. That might be a little awkward now. Oh well. Really, he could take this whole thing in stride and use it to his advantage.

“Oh, no shit?” He finally responds, another grin taking over his face. “Fucker must not come in and grab coffee here. Would have defo noticed if he’d sauntered in here while I was on the clock. Well! That settles the fuck out of that. Gonna be seeing a hell of a lot more of our Kravvy boy if I get any say in it.”

“It doesn’t weird you out at all? Did he even recognize _you_? Wait, holy shit. Does he not realize you run the cafe?”

“It never really came up in conversation. A little hard to have casual chitter chat when you have a guy’s dick halfway down your throat.”

“Hate that. Thanks.” Lup holds her hand out expectantly. “Gimme. I wanna see what it was you said to get him to get you a fucking drink.”

Taako shoots Lup a quizzical look, slowly retrieving his phone from his pocket and unlocking it. “Why? You going to use it as blackmail or something?”

“Oh, you bet your fucking _ass_ I am!” She snorts, eagerly flipping through apps until settling on the one she wanted. “My boss got a fucking blowjob from my brother, you’re goddamn right I’m holding this against him.”

“Touche.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's about an hour away from it being my usual weekly posting date I picked, because I plan on updating on Fridays. But it's close enough, and I've been excited to post this forever. So here you go!

The Institute of Astral History was a shining beacon in the center of Neverwinter. At least, that was how Kravitz looked at it. The city didn’t have too much going on, aside from a few local pubs and a bowling alley that had definitely seen better days, so the museum tended to bring in higher traffic than most places. It was large, educational, and had enough of a reputation that it hosted a majority of the city events in its ballroom. In fact, this year's charity ball was coming up in a few months or so. Kravitz was usually posted as security detail throughout, so he didn’t get to enjoy too much of the gala itself. Maybe with the new hires, he could sneak in a few desserts at least.

Tonight, however, was just a normal Thursday. Or as normal as it could get when you were training someone for half your shift for the first time in...well, forever, really. Hiring Barry and Lup had come as a shock when the museum curator had mentioned it in passing, and he’d gotten the full story later when he’d met her in her office. His relationship with his boss was...complicated, and usually best described as almost familial, considering she’d really taken him under her wing when he’d been in a bad place.

According to Raven, she’d agreed to hire them on as extra security, per her business partner’s request. Kravitz had never pried too much into the reasoning behind his boss’ decision making when it came to Istus’ requests, though he had his own suspicions on the matter. The man wasn’t entirely sure what stakes Istus had in bringing on two more employees, but it wasn’t his place to question management decisions.

Clocking in that evening didn’t feel any different, even if Kravitz was a little more chipper than usual. It would have gone mostly unnoticed, had the break room been empty when he was depositing his things in his locker, but it seemed as if the good luck from the night before wasn’t going to extend to this afternoon.

Julia Waxman was gathering her own things to leave for the day, the museum closing at five left little room for a front desk attendant after that, and under any other circumstance, Kravitz would have loved nothing more than to spend a few moments speaking with her. They had an interesting friendship that consisted of whatever conversation they could manage between shifts.

“Did something happen, Kravitz?” Julia looks up from her bag, eyebrows raised and a fond smile gracing her features.

“Ah- good afternoon,” He responds, “I’m afraid I don’t really know what you’re talking about. Today’s been fairly uneventful, like any other Thursday.”

“Hm.” The woman shakes her head, determined, “Nope. Something must have happened, you don’t come in with a grin that big otherwise. So, what was it? Did you win the lottery or something? Or-oh! Did you have a _date?_ ”

Her grin only widens when the half-elf’s cheeks darken, unable to answer her in his haste to get his things put away and his badge out of his locker. The faster he can get out of the room, the better his night would be. Unfortunately, it seemed that Julia wasn’t about to let this go any time soon.

“Oh my god!” She squeals, rushing forward to tug on Kravitz’s forearm, “Kravitz! Where did you go? How’d you meet him? Oooh, what does he look like?!”

“It--it wasn’t _exactly_ a date...” He admits, complexion pooling even darker. “Just-a, uh...?”

How was he even supposed to describe the event? It wasn’t really normal to buy a guy a drink from 7/11 in exchange for a blowjob, was it? Honestly, he wasn’t even really sure why he’d accepted in the first place, though now he was glad he had.

“What do you mean?” Julia’s gaze narrows, scrutinizing. “How is something not ‘exactly’ a date? What, did you just hook up with some guy on Tinder or something?”

“Um.” Kravitz coughs, staring up at the ceiling. “Grindr, actually. But really, Julia, it wasn’t-”

Julia’s laughter rings through the room, dripping in glee as she squeezes around his arm tighter. “Holy _shit_ , Krav! I never really pegged you for the down and dirty type, you know? What was it like?”

Before Kravitz can answer, or spontaneously combust right there in the break room, the door opens again. He turns to thank whoever his savior is, but stops short. Lup is leaning against the doorway, which wasn’t necessarily abnormal, considering he was supposed to be training her for the next several hours. No, what _was_ abnormal was the absolute look of _delight_ she was directing at him. Kravitz has a feeling he was in for a long night.

“I’ll...talk to you later,” He glances at Julia before clearing his throat and heading towards the break room door, pointedly ignoring the woman’s pleas behind him as he follows Lup into the hallway. There was something almost familiar about her, but he couldn’t place it entirely.

“ _Text me about this later, you oaf!”_

\---

For the most part, training Lup had gone exactly as he’d expected. The elf went out of her way to make a few quips about the exhibits as they passed, and lamented again at the mention of how much paperwork was involved for something as ‘simple as a fucking security job’. It wasn’t until the end of her swing shift that things took a turn for the worst.

“Do you have any questions or concerns before you clock off for the night?” Kravitz asks, once again standing in the break room. It would have been rude to wave her off without making sure she remembered her employee code. “This weekend is your first double, and I know overnight shifts after working most of the afternoon can be a hassle. If you have anything on your mind, I’d prefer to get it out of the way before then.”

“Yeah!” Lup practically spins on her heels, successfully clocked off and cell phone in her hand. A mischievous expression is etched into her face. “Just one question, actually.”

“Yes?”

He’d been expecting something relatively normal. Perhaps another complaint about filling out security logs, or asking again why she couldn’t play with the exhibits after hours. Nothing could have possibly prepared him for the question that left her mouth.

“How much would you say a Double Gulp Horchata is worth to you?”

For a moment, Kravitz is utterly confused. What on earth was that supposed to mean, and what did it have to do with--. Oh. _Oh._ Fuck.

And just like that, he feels like melting into the floor on the spot.

He doesn’t, of course. But it’s too damn close for comfort. From the knowing look on Lup’s face, she knows _precisely_ what she’s asking, and what sort of affect it will have on him. Looking at her, he can’t believe he hadn’t picked up on it sooner, especially since his escapade last night had made a comment in passing about a sister.

“He, uh, didn’t mention you were twins.” It isn’t what Kravitz means to reply with, but they were the only words he could manage to stammer out at the moment. It wasn’t the easiest conversation to have, and there wasn’t any written protocol on how to handle admitting to your co-worker that her brother had definitely given him a blowjob the night before.

“Practically joined at the fucking hip. But Taako’s never really been the type for long conversations, wouldn’t you agree?” Lup waves the concern off, arms crossing over her chest in glee. Kravitz is effectively cornered. “Sooo, ‘Kravvy’. Is it exclusively a Horchata thing, or where do you draw the line for your sexual currency? You got a buyout price? Not for me, for the record, ew, no offense. But I’d be happy to pass the info along.”

“I...don’t...” He’s still at a loss for words, drowning in the sound of blood rushing through his ears. “This is...not an appropriate work conversation!”

Lup laughs.

“Kind of broke that rule when you put your dick in the mouth of a co-worker, didn’t you?”

“I-What?” The confusion was back, though this time it was sticking. Kravitz is pretty sure he’d remember someone like Taako working at the Institute. Besides... “He said he made coffee and baked goods for a living!”

“Oh, man.” Her laughter only grows, leaving Lup practically doubled over in a fit. “Both of you are so _stupid._ It’d almost be precious if it wasn’t so fucking dumb. Who do you think runs the cafe here, genius? We can go talk to him if you want, he’s still closing up shop.”

For the third time that night, Kravitz short circuits.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I'm a few days late! With Mother's Day this weekend, I got busy, so this chapter's a little shorter than normal! Hope that's okay!

The lights inside Whole Latte Love are still dimly lit, despite closing two hours earlier. This was normal, though, since Taako tended to take his sweet time ensuring the cafe was completely sanitized and ready for the next morning’s workload. The elf himself isn’t visible when Lup and Kravitz quietly enter through the glass doors, but the sound echoing from the kitchen gives away his position.

Taako’s back is to the duo as he stands over the sink, elbows deep in soapy water, and hips dramatically shimmying to whatever boy band is crooning through the speakers on the tiny radio nearby. Lup places a finger to her lips, motioning for Kravitz to stay silent as she approachs her brother.

“He-ey, broski!” She calls loudly, leaning against one of the counters with a grin, “Working late tonight, huh?”

Taako immediately pauses in his motions with a yelp, barely managing to keep his grip on a soapy plate. He opts to keep his back to the doorway, casually responding while keeping his focus on the dishes in the sink.

“Can’t rush perfection, Lulu, you know that. Why are  _ you  _ still here? Don’t want to go home to our favorite jean-clad debutant?”

“No, actually, I found something more interesting.” Lup shrugs, stepping away from the counter with a spin so she can wink at Kravitz. “Or did you already forget your sexy 7-11 savior is my boss, who currently seems fixated on the fact that you were definitely dancing around your kitchen just now?”

The freshly clean plate drops to the counter with a  _ clank _ as Taako spins on his heels, eyes wide. He’d figured that his sister would get a full night’s worth of ribbing in, but he hadn’t accounted for the possibility of her  _ bringing Kravitz into his cafe. _ Sometimes he hated that they both tended to be meddlers.

“Oh!” He fixes his composure quickly, shock turning into a dazzling smile as he beams at Kravitz. “Hey, stranger! Fancy meeting you here?”

Kravitz seems to snap out of his haze, head shaking lightly as his eyes adjust to the remainder of the room. The kitchen was very nice. Almost cozy, really, even with all the stainless steel countertops and commercial kitchen wares gently placed everywhere. One glance around, and you could tell that Taako regularly poured himself into this place, even just through every perfectly placed tool.

“We both work here.” 

It was supposed to sound like a question, though the words tumbling through Kravitz’s awkward demeanour sound like a stated fact. Taako stares at him in response, clearly not sure how to respond to that right off the bat.

“Yeah,” He laughs instead, tossing his golden braid back over his shoulder. “Weird that we never ran into each other before now, right? I mean, do you not drink coffee? Museum employees get it free.”

“Hey!” Lup interrupts, eyes narrowing at her brother, “You make me pay for mine!”

Taako sighs before turning to give Lup a pointed look. Her mouth changes to form a perfect ‘o’ as she catches on to the game being played here.

“I, uh, usually just bring a thermos from home?” Kravitz’s eyes flick between the siblings, eyebrows furrowing in slight confusion. Working primarily graveyards didn’t give him a lot of practice talking to people. “I usually don’t get in until four thirty, and the cafe closes at five so...I just never wanted to be a bother.”

“Trust me, my man,” Taako takes a step closer, “It’s not a burden to make  _ you  _ a coffee.”

“I-” The security guard’s brain goes fuzzy again, momentarily distracted by the long pink garment the other is wearing. “Sorry, but...does your apron say ‘ _ Whip Me _ ’ on it?”

“And that’s my cue to leave.” Lup jumps up from where she’d nestled on a stool, saluting the pair before heading towards the door. “As sweet as this awkward exchange is, I’ve got a date, so. Koko, if you get laid, you owe me. See ya!”

Taako barely spares an eye roll in his sister’s direction before turning his attention back to his sudden visitor.

“It’s a baking pun.” He explains, easing some of the curiosity that was dawning on Kravitz’s face. “Y’know. Like. With a whisk? You whip things, like merengue. Anywho, how much time do you have before you’ve got to get back on your solo night watch?”

“Uh, technically I’m still--”

“Great!”

Taako doesn’t give him much of a choice after that, instead opting to yank his wrist further into the kitchen instead.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday, my dudes! Hopefully May isn't wrecking anyone's shit too badly. Anyways, here's another chapter!

The sun rising over the mountaintops shines through the cafe windows softly, illuminating the shining to-go cups of coffee as Julia reaches over the counter to pick them up, balancing her phone precariously between her index and middle fingers on one hand. One could say that eight in the morning was too early to be shuffling around your workplace, especially when said workplace didn’t open until ten, but she’d always made it a habit to be early. Both because she preferred that to being late, and because Taako usually provided her with a heavy dose of gossip before starting her day.

Today was different--for a lot of reasons, she supposes. First, because she couldn’t stick around as long as she usually did in the mornings. Technically speaking, Whole Latte Love didn’t open until the museum did, but Taako managed to drag himself out of bed by seven to get the baked goods going early (and to make sure those working early got their breakfasts, not that he’d admit to keeping track of anything like that.) The elf was adamant that everything had to be baked fresh daily, never frozen. He’d once told Julia he simply threw out the extras at the end of the night, but she’d caught him loading up a bag for that schoolboy who spent all his afternoons here, and she was pretty sure the boy was taking home all of the extras. She never said anything about it.

Her second reasoning for today being different, was that she had an important meeting at eight fifteen. Well, meeting in the loose sense of the word. When Istus had lamented about coming in early to assist their chosen craftsman with a museum restoration project, Julia had quickly volunteered to lend a hand herself. Not that she had any ulterior motives, but the Institute had only used one artist slash maintenance technician for years, and it just so happened to be the same man who had landed Taako his position here. That man was Magnus Burnsides.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Kravitz here so late.” Julia comments, deciding she has at least a  _ few _ minutes to chat before making her way back to the museum entrance. “How’d you convince him to get a coffee after his shift? I’ve been texting him for months.”

Taako turns away from the cafe doorway where he’d been watching the aforementioned security guard take his leave for the day, arching an eyebrow towards the questioning woman. Without looking, he fills a ceramic coffee mug and slides it across the counter just in time for Barry Bluejeans to walk in and take his usual spot.

“There’s a lot of things you can offer a guy for a coffee.” He muses, finally answering after a pause. “But if you want me to be more specific, can’t do that. Taako doesn’t give away all his trade secrets.”

“Ah,” Julia nods wisely, taking a sip of her own latte. “So he got laid again. Good for him. And you, I suppose.”

“Oh, har har.” He rolls his eyes before turning back to his morning tasks, barely acknowledging the wave and confused look his future brother in law is giving him from the other side of the countertop. “Tell Maggie I said he needs to grow a pair and ask you out already before any other guy with eyes realizes you work here.”

Before Julia can answer, Barry is piping up, a grin stretched across his face. “Oh, hey! I didn’t realize Magnus was coming in today. Is he working on something big? Because I really want to show him this research I’ve been--”

“He’s restoring one of the statues in the Astral Planes exhibit. Probably won’t take him too long to load up in his van, I can have him come find you afterwards if you’re still around.” 

“Thanks, Julia!” Barry beams. “It’s Saturday, so I’m working a double, you know? I overlap with Lup and Kravitz for a few hours tonight.”

“Oooh,” Julia’s eyes sparkle playfully as she takes a step backwards towards the door, both coffees in hand. “Tell Krav I said I didn’t know he was kinky enough to get it on in a museum. See you on my lunch break, Taako!”

The elf whips around to smart off some witty retort, but by the time his gaze reaches the doorway, Julia has already disappeared through it. He calls out loudly anyways, “A cafe kitchen isn’t  _ technically _ a museum, Waxman!”

“What the hell are you guys talking about?”

“Oh, Barold, sorry. Forgot you were here. Hurry up and finish your coffee before your shift, I’m not chasing you down for your mug again.”

~~

_ * Lup sent an image to the group chat!* _

_ *Lup: i forgot the charity ball was next month* _

_ *Lup: anyone know what the theme is this year????* _

_ *Julia: Kravitz probably does, he’s the only one that pays attention when Raven calls him in the office.* _

_ *Julia: But idk if you can get ahold of him rn...* _

_ *Barry: His shift starts in an hour, why would he still be sleeping?* _

_ *Julia: He’s not sleeping.* _

_ *Lup: hes at the cafe isnt he???* _

_ *Julia: I am sworn to secrecy.* _

_ *Julia: (Yes.)* _

_ *Barry: Why can’t you just pop in there and ask? Taako doesn’t mind visitors.* _

_ *Julia: Did you miss the convo this morning??? I’m not walking in on the potential of getting an eyeful of kinky museum cafe happenings.* _

_ *Lup: they didnt!!* _

_ *Julia: Oh, they definitely did. Taako told me this morning.* _

_ *Taako: you do remember im literally in this chat right* _

_ *Taako: like* _

_ *Taako: i am reading this with my own two eyes* _

_ *Lup: so is kravitz. whats ur point?* _

_ *Taako: oh i dont give a shit what you say* _

_ *Taako: its just rude to have a discussion about my sex life without me present* _

_ *Taako: thats all* _

_ *Taako: and for the record, waxman, maybe if magnus got the hint, you could experience mind blowing museum excursions too* _

_ *Magnus: Get the hint about what???* _

_ *Taako: woops forgot you were in this chat* _

_ *Julia: >:( * _

_ *Davenport: I’m sorry, but I am going to have to mute this chat if you keep using it for things unrelated to work. Especially for conversations like this one.* _

_ *Merle: agggreeeeed. not even there today and im getting bad mental images.* _

_ *Taako: when are you ever even here old man* _

_ *Merle: groundskeeping doesnt keep me there every day. how do you remember magnus being there but not me?* _

_ *Taako: maggie is loud enough to demand a presence* _

_ *Taako: ok this is boring now ive got better things to do* _

_ *Lup: coworkers arent things koko, thats rude.* _

_ *Davenport has removed himself from the group chat.* _

_ *Lup: ill add him back in a minute* _

~~

Slipping his phone back in the pocket of today’s (very inappropriate) pun filled apron (“Lick me till ice cream”), Taako gives a roll of his eyes before turning his attention back to the man sitting at his cafe counter with a large cup of coffee. Kravitz seems to be enjoying it, considering it was nearly gone in the twenty minutes he’d been sitting there. The thought brings a smile to Taako’s lips.

“What did I tell you?” He croons, lacing his fingers together to lean over his hands towards his sitting guest. “Coming in early for one of my coffees was totally worth it. Good, right?”

“Very.” Kravitz agrees, “The hint of caramel makes it all come together. I think the lemon cake was better, though.”

Taako snorts. “Well, no shit, homie. My lemon pound cake is made from scratch. I’ve been here since seven in the fucking morning making that shit. If you hated it, I’d have to rethink ever putting you in my mouth again.”

“Uh-” How was Kravitz supposed to respond to that? He’d assumed their initial conversation over Grindr had just been because it was technically over social media, but he’d discovered quickly that Taako was just naturally very blunt. He never seemed to care what anyone else around him would think, instead choosing to just openly talk about things most people would consider private.

“Thankfully, we don’t have to worry about that.” Taako was continuing to speak, as if Kravitz wasn’t dealing with his brain short circuiting again. “You’ve got taste buds that work, and you’re pretty damn efficient at making a guy feel good over a kitchen sink. Just how I like it.”

“That wasn’t...” Kravitz frowns, “I mean, it was pretty unprofessional, I suppose. Either of us could lose our positions here, and I don’t--”

“That’s part of what makes it hot, Krav. The whole ‘forbidden’ aspect of it. How many people can brag about getting fucked by the night security guard  _ while still in the museum?  _ Next time, it’s my turn to wreck you, though.”

“Next time?” He arches an eyebrow underneath his security cap, not missing how his chest squeezes at the idea. Taako seems to stumble for a second, like the implication of whatever they were doing wasn't something he’d considered  _ asking  _ for like the majority of people would. Watching the elf falter was enough to make Kravitz step back in before things could take a turn for the worst. “Alright.”

“I mean, you  _ did  _ show up an hour before your shift just for a fucking coffee. If you don’t--oh!” Taako blinks, nearly stepping backwards in surprise. He hadn’t expected Kravitz to agree to it so quickly. “Okay, then. Not the kitchen this time, though. What’s your favorite exhibit here?”

The silence hangs in the air for almost a second too long before Kravitz catches on to the question at hand, and he stares back in disbelief for a minute.

“You...want to fool around in one of the exhibits?”

“Hell yeah, I do!”

“Taako, there’s--there’s cameras. That’s literally part of my job, you know. To check the cameras.”

“Well, then you know where all the blind spots are, don’t you?” Taako grins, snatching the now empty coffee cup off the counter between them and turning to drop it in the sink. “Text me when the coast is clear and my sister’s left for the night.”

Another pause. The elf looks over his shoulder again, something slightly vulnerable in his eyes, like he was waiting to be shut down.

“You’re serious about this, aren’t you?” Kravitz’s voice is soft, his shoulders finally slumping down in defeat. He was  _ so  _ going to get fired for this. “Keep your phone on you, then.”

The dazzling smile he receives in return was more than worth the risk.

  
“Oh, baby, you have no idea. I’m going to  _ rock _ your world.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Originally I was going to update this weekly on Fridays, but it'll probably be hit or miss. This week it's early.
> 
> Also taking a bit of a break from the usual Taako and Kravitz flirtations to tag along with Lup during her meddling throughout the day. Enjoy!

Weekend security doubles were slowly turning into Lup’s least favorite activity in the world. Most people in Neverwinter were too  _ annoyingly  _ good at following the rules posted throughout the museum, so her rounds tended to be filled with nothing but walking the same boring loop every hour. The only thing keeping her sane was popping into the office to check on Barry every so often. Their shifts hardly overlapped for more than an hour or so, Barry’s academic papers and reports to different archaeological societies were better suited for a day shift, where Lup’s skills were better utilized on swing shifts. The saving grace was that they’d managed to get the same days off every week, but other than that it was kept to minimal contact via work shifts.

A double shift meant the elf had gotten there at nine, rather than two like usual, and since her boyfriend got in at six every morning, she had almost a full day bugging him every time she passed his office door. Which she definitely did for most of the morning until he’d gone on lunch, in which case she’d simply bugged him at the cafe instead. Taako’s insistence that everyone leeched off his good cooking was drowned out by the fact he’d already had Barry’s usual lunch waiting for him on the counter when they got there.

“You didn’t get me anything?” Lup complains, leaning heavily over Barry’s shoulder to glare at her brother. “Some fuckin’ twin  _ you  _ are.”

“ _ You  _ don’t get a lunch until four today.” Her brother reminds her, leaning into the display case to toss her one of his signature donuts anyways. “Why the fuck are you even in my cafe? You’re on the clock, go bug someone else.”

Lup’s mouth is full of pastry when she answeres, making her retort as slurred as possible. Taako shoots her a look before she swallows and asks again, “Like who? Julia’s  _ busy _ laughing at Magnus mooning over her all morning, and Lucretia’s too engrossed in trying to organize the archive mess now that Bar’s on break.”

“It’s Saturday.” He reminds her, sighing with an air of over the top drama at his sister’s blank stare before adding, “Ango’s running tours for a few hours as a volunteer. Go chuck a macaron at him for me or something.”

Lup brightens considerably, leaning her entire upper half over the counter to snag a few of Taako’s signature cookies from his case, ignoring his cries of outrage at her display. With a quick kiss to Barry’s cheek and a flip of the bird at her brother, she’s off again to round the museum in search of the tiny child prodigy.

\--

Angus is easier to spot than expected, though Lup figures it’s hard to miss the giant glasses and echoing voice as he prattles off random facts to a group of tourists standing in front of him. He was easily the smallest of anyone who worked for the Institute of Astral History, even counting the rest of the student volunteers, though the fact that he was literally, like, twelve years old might have had something to do with it.

Most of the other volunteers were in charge of various cleaning projects, or occasionally running some table up front next to Julia’s desk with piles of brochures for upcoming events. Angus was lucky, really--or maybe it was just because he’d insisted to Istus upon his hiring that he was the World’s Greatest Historian, and spent an hour or so spouting information at her. It’d been a pretty easy decision to line him up as a tour guide on weekends after that. Even when he wasn’t working, he spent a majority of his afternoons at the museum, usually hanging around Taako’s cafe with a pile of files and books he’d ‘borrowed’ from Barry and Lucretia’s museum archives.

“--been missing since the fifteenth century!” Angus’s voice rings through the hallways as Lup leans against one of the marble pillars to watch, one of the macarons bouncing up and down in the palm of her hand. “To this day, historians are unsure how an entire fleet of statues lost their heads without a trace. You’ll get mixed answers depending on who you ask, but I think...”

Lup lets him continue speaking for a minute or two more, before deciding standing around listening to a kid talk about missing heads for the third weekend in a row was even worse than being bored wandering around. With a perfect aim, she tosses the biggest macaron over the crowd in front of her and directly into Angus’s shoulder, who jumps slightly at the ‘thud’ against his jacket before glancing down at the ground.   
  
“Oh!” He pauses his speech, leaning over to grab the cookie off the floor quickly, raising it in Lup’s direction with a grin. “Thanks, Miss Lup!”

Lup gives a wave before disappearing around the corner to go find someone else to pester before her lunch.

\--

“But you know you’re going to have to just redo it the next time he loses something.” She’s leaning against one of the office tables, picking at her fingernails while Lucretia has her head buried deep inside a giant filing box. “So why even bother?”

“Because,” Lucretia sighs, moving her head to glance at her sudden visitor. “Any sort of semblance of organization is beneficial to the archive system, no matter how often Barry forgets it. I’m sorry, Lup, this really isn’t a good time, and you’ve been a rather large distraction for the better part of an hour and a half. I only have a few more minutes before your boyfriend gets back from his meeting, I’d really like to--”

“Oh, shit!” Lup jumps up from the table, a grin spreading across her face, “It’s, like, almost four! Sorry, Luc, I’ll see you later!”

She’s out the door before Lucretia has a chance to respond in kind, instead sighing and turning back to her filing task. Just as she’s about to continue, the door opens again, and Barry walks in the room.

“Hey, Lucretia! Raven asked for a copy of that research paper we finished last month on the general statue, do you remember where I put it?”

\--

“Two and a half minutes late.” Taako chides, checking his watch as Lup re-enters the cafe for the second time that day. “I was starting to think you died or something.”

“Yeah, death by  _ boredom. _ ” His sister snickers, sliding into a seat and yanking the waiting plate towards her. “Seriously, how the fuck do you run doubles all the damn time? This is my first, and I think I’d rather lose out on the overtime next time.”

“I don’t trust anyone else to not fuck up. Besides Ren, and she needs days off. Istus asked me the other day if I wanted to hire anyone else. Over my fucking dead body. God, Lulu, chew before you  _ inhale. _ ”

“‘S good!” Lup protests, mouth full of signature sandwich. She swallows thickly, eyeballing Taako as he taps out a text message on his phone. “Are you talking to Kravitz again?”

“None of your business.”

“He gets here in like, an hour, Taako. Can’t go an hour without missing the boyfriend, now?” Lup’s voice is full of teasing, snorting at the way Taako wrinkles his nose at her and waves off her question.

“Not my boyfriend.” He insists, “It’s just a series of hook ups. Taako doesn’t get attached, you of all people should know that.”

Rolling her eyes, Lup crosses her arms at the elbow before scrutinizing her brother, one eyebrow raised. He was carefully avoiding her gaze, focusing on removing a spot on the counter that she was pretty sure didn’t exist in the first place.

“Call it what you want, Koko,” She decides, “But I know you. You don’t hook up with the same person three times in a row, and you definitely don’t text them on  _ a constant basis. _ Have you even been seeing anyone else in between?”

Taako looks offended at the question, finally pausing in his cleaning regime to turn his shocked expression towards his twin. “Of course I haven’t. What kind of person do you take me for? Besides, we literally live in the same apartment. I think you’d know if I’d had anyone over, don’t you?”

“And Kravitz isn’t your boyfriend.”

“Nope.”

“You’re so full of shit, bro-bro.” Lup shakes her head. This wasn’t worth arguing over, and if she knows her brother, he’d insist for the rest of his days that he had no intention to let this go anywhere beyond sleeping together.

The rest of her lunch was spent joking about other things; their coworkers, the last episode of Neverwinter’s Got Talent they caught on TV, whether they could convince Barry to get a nose ring at some point. The time seemed to pass too quickly, and before she knows it, it was time to get up and head out to the lobby before Kravitz got there to finish out the rest of her double with her.

\--

Lup is surprised to find Julia still standing at the front desk when she enters the lobby. The Insitute closed at five for the day, and for the most part the girl was extremely punctual at getting the fuck out of there on time. Even when she’d spent most of the day flirting with Magnus, he should have been long gone by now, right? The elf shrugs and approaches the desk.

“What are you still doing here?” She asks, poking at Julia’s shoulder to get her attention. Julia jumps slightly before turning towards Lup with a smirk, pointing to the underside of her desk. Peering over the top, Lup can see a large pair of legs sticking out from underneath it. “...Mags? Is that you?”

“Hey, Lup!” A voice calls out from the desk, a hand coming out a moment later to wave at her. “Sorry, I know it’s after hours! I think I’m almost done, just....Jules said her desk was wobbly, and I can’t figure out what’s wrong with it!”

At Magnus’ confession, Julia nudges Lup with a silent laugh, opening her hand behind her back. Three screws are glistening back at her, and Lup has to cover her mouth with her fingers to keep from busting up and giving it away.

“Oh, man,” She offers instead, “I’m sure you’ll figure it out, bud. Hey, are you still coming by for family dinner tomorrow? Taako’s making his signature chili.”

“Wouldn’t miss it!” The voice calls out again.

“Great!” Lup’s facial expression turns gleeful as she winks in Julia’s direction. “You’re totally invited too, Julia.”

There’s a rustle under the desk suddenly, followed by a sharp bang and a quiet ‘fuck!’ before it goes quiet again. Julia’s eyes glisten, catching on to what Lup is doing, and gives a thumbs up.

“Yeah, of course! Sounds great, what time?”

“Like, seven.” Lup shrugs, “You’ve gotta help me get Kravitz there, too. Taako’s trying to insist they’re not dating, so. Don’t tell him I’m inviting him.”

“Taako has a boyfriend?” Magnus pipes up again, rolling out from under the desk completely and sitting up on the floor with a frown. “He didn’t tell me that!”

“He won’t even tell himself that.” Lup rolls her eyes. “You don’t say shit either, Maggie. As far as Kravitz knows, Taako wants him to come but he’s too nervous to ask himself. Or some fucking shit like that.”

“Taako’s too nervous to ask who what?” Kravitz’s voice enters the lobby from behind them. The three figures turn to look at him, causing the security guard to pause in his movements and stare back skeptically.

“Kravitz, hi!” Julia is all smiles, moving around the reception area to bounce up to him happily. If she was being any more unsubtle, it would have been written on her forehead, but thankfully Kravitz didn’t seem to notice. “I’m sooo excited you’re going to dinner tomorrow!”

“I am?”

“Well, yeah!” Julia faux frowns, eyebrows knitting together. “Taako hasn’t asked you, yet? He was gushing about it the other day, wasn’t he, Lup?”

“Oh, fuck yeah!” Lup jumps into action, moving to sit on top of the reception desk with her legs crossed. “He didn’t want to weird you out, but he really wants you to go. We do this big ass family dinner thing every month. Barry, me, Taako, usually Mags...and Julia’s going tomorrow, too. He wanted to invite you, but wasn’t sure how to bring it up. You have tomorrow night off, right?”

“Um.” Kravitz blinks, unsure how to completely respond. “Yes, I suppose I do...are you sure I’m supposed to be invited?”

“Abso-fucking-lutely.” Lup confirms. “Be there at seven. You can even bring a bottle of wine or something. Taako likes reds.”

There’s a strange moment of hesitation hovering in the air as Kravitz considers. Going to a family dinner seemed a lot more serious than a series of flings, especially since he’d already been nervous about messaging Taako later that night after Lup clocked off to go home, not that she knew about that. Now there was an expectation to go to dinner? And a family one, at that. Maybe things were a little different than he’d thought.

“Okay...” He settles, fingers tightening around the cell phone in his coat pocket. Family dinner the night after potentially getting fired for desecrating the museum. This would be...fun.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get a lil more serious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The world's gone crazy, and I haven't had the mental energy to post much before now, I'm sorry. Hopefully this makes up for it as we get into more of the Big Plot I have in store.

_ *why arent you at home????* _

_ \--- _

_ *taakoooo what the fuck??? wheere even r u?? bar is getting worried. not me tho just curious where ur at.* _

_ \--- _

_ *koko i s2g ud better answer me before i start callin around looking for ur ass u have five mins* _

_ *jesus christ is there a fire or something?* _

_ *he lives!! forreal tho where are you* _

_ *why am i not allowed to leave the apartment? its a friday maybe im at a club* _

_ *if u were at a club youd take me with you* _

_ *ok just relax. im safe and nothings going to happen, ill be back at the crack of dawn before you even know it. turning phone off now. kick barry in the ass for me.* _

_ *taako!!!!!!!* _

_ \--- _

“Is everything okay?”

Taako glances up at the sound of Kravitz’s voice as he slips his phone into the pocket of his frilly jacket. The museum is so dark and quiet without the usual crowd of people walking through it, and it almost feels like he’s walking through some kind of alternate reality. Sure, some of the nights that Whole Latte Love took longer to clean he’d left after the Institute’s lights were off, but admittedly at that point Taako had always been more focused on getting the fuck out of the building to pay it any attention.

Now, though? He has all the time in the world.

“Yeah,” He grins back in response, pushing off the wall he’d been leaning on while Kravitz was checking off some kind of logbook. “That looks really fucking boring, my dude. You have to fill that thing out every single night?”

“Yes. Without the paperwork, there’s no evidence that I’ve done my job.”

Taako takes a second to peer at the heavy binder in the other man’s hand, snorting at the obvious differences between the way Kravitz fills out his portions versus Lup filling out hers. Anything she’d written was condensed to a sentence, if that, in big loopy letters that took up most of the lined spaces. Kravitz, meanwhile, had neat small writing that fit perfectly between each line, and somehow had written entire paragraphs for each response, even when it involved nothing happening.

“Jesus, no wonder Lup complains about paperwork so much.” He wrinkles his nose in distaste before clicking his tongue and glancing down the hallway behind them. “Do you always focus on work so much while you’re here?”

Kravitz frowns, not quite understanding the point of the question. ‘Here’ was work, wasn’t it? Any sort of slacking off would definitely be frowned upon--he was already waiting for the inevitable conversation with his boss tomorrow after she found out he’d allowed someone else in the building after hours, even if he technically worked here.

“I’m head of security.” He explains, the creases between his eyebrows furrowing even deeper. “My entire job is filled with focus, isn’t it? Someone could easily take advantage of the building if I shirked any of my duties here. So far, nobody’s attempted to break in or cause damage to the building as long as I’ve worked here, and I’d like to keep it that way.”

“No, I mean...” Taako sighs, stepping forward to look at Kravitz directly, gently closing the book in his hands. He moves one of his hands upwards, prodding at the crease lines on Kravitz’s forehead until they relax. “That’s better. What I mean, is that you have the reign of the whole museum, right? Haven’t you ever wanted to...I dunno, run down the hallways? You can’t tell me you go  _ every single fucking night _ just following company protocol?”

By the look on his face, Taako confers that was exactly what Kravitz has been doing. The exasperation must have been evident on his face, because Kravitz is quick to defend himself by blurting out the best thing he can think of at the moment.

“I talk to the exhibits sometimes, if that’s what you mean.”

“You--I’m sorry, what?” The laugh that leaves Taako’s lungs ends in a way that closely resemble a wheeze. “You  _ talk to the exhibits? _ Krav, baby, you really need to get out more. C’mon.”

He holds his hand out expectantly towards the other man, eyebrow raising when Kravitz doesn’t immediately take it. His fingers wiggle as he waits, impatience creeping up on him with every ticking second. Finally, the feeling of another hand settles in his grasp and he grins.

“Where are we going?” Kravitz asks, skeptical. He’s still on duty, after all.

“Well,” Taako’s eyes sparkle playfully as he tugs Kravitz further down the hallway. “I am  _ not  _ spending my entire night wandering around after you while you write boring shit down and talk to various exhibits. Fuck that. I’m going to show you what it’s like to have  _ fun _ while you’re working. And before you even ask--no, I’m not entirely referring to me making it so you can’t walk in the morning, that comes later.”

\---

‘Fun’ as it turns out, meant chasing each other through the darkened museum hallways and collapsing into fits of giggles against whatever various surfaces they ran into. Sometimes literally. It was during one of those moments sitting against one of the many benches strewn about that Taako actually asked about one of the exhibits they were looking at. Kravitz’s voice was soft as he spoke, rattling off facts that most people would have tuned out ages ago. For someone whose job was just keeping the museum safe, it was painfully clear that Kravitz held an incredible amount of passion about everything inside it, and had even gone out of his way to learn whatever he could.

His voice only falters once, when Taako (who was uncharacteristically quiet during this whole ordeal) moves over and rests his head against Kravitz’s shoulder, his gaze never straying from the pair of statues in front of them. When he finally trails off, out of whatever trivia he’d retained over the years, it was Taako’s turn to speak.

“Why aren’t you one of the tour guides or something?” He asks, cheek pressed heavily into Kravitz’s shoulder blade. “You know way too much about this shit to waste it running around by yourself all night talking to statues. Or do you just have some weird ass passion for security that I don’t understand?”

Kravitz chuckles at the idea, staring out into the vast room to mull over the best way to respond. His explanation leaves his lips slowly, almost like he’s embarrassed by the whole thing. “Definitely not my first choice, no. I used to write, actually. Mostly bad strains of poetry, a few short stories here and there. Once I discovered my passion for history, everything I wrote progressed into historical notes. Essays, theories for things that no historian had ever come to conclusions about. I had some historical fiction tucked away somewhere. An academic researching group had reached out to me, wanted to meet to go over some of my work and possibly publish it. But...”

“But?” Taako presses, intrigued in spite of himself.

“There....was a fire.” The previously warm voice takes on a faulty tone, almost as if talking about this was nearly too painful to remember. “They suspected arson, though the culprit was never found. And I lost everything. All my notes, my research, my theories. Gone. The research group obviously wanted nothing to do with me after that, and I...well, I wasn’t in the best place I’ve ever been, really. Ra-uh, the museum owner found me down on my luck after that. Listened to me. Told me she had started a museum up with an old friend of hers, and she was looking for someone to help them look after it when they couldn’t be there. She knew it wasn’t the same, of course, but...well, look around. We’re surrounded by history and science, aren’t we?”

Taako doesn’t speak for some time after that. He wants to tell him that he understands, tell him that he’d been through something similar with his first bakery that had been taken from him by someone he’d trusted at the time. But he can’t make the words bubble up past the thoughts running through his head. Beyond that, this whole situation was stupid, right? This was Taako. He doesn’t get attached to people anymore, and didn’t give a shit about anyone else other than himself and his sister. Sometimes Barry and Magnus by extension. So why does his chest feel like it was constricting in on itself?

“Alright,” He clears his throat instead, jumping up from the bench and yanking Kravitz up with him. “Enough moping. I believe I was promised blind spots, and I distinctly remember telling you I was going to rock your world, right? So start leading the way before I just undo your fancy belt buckle right here in full view of that camera over there.”

\---

“I’m telling you, this is a totally weird and different thing.” Lup insists, pacing around at the foot of their bed. “Since when is he gone this late? It’s  _ three in the morning! _ My brother would kill someone if he didn’t get his beauty meditation!”

Barry sighs, taking off his glasses and setting them on the nightstand before closing the book he’d been scanning through. It hadn’t happened in a while, but once his girlfriend had her mind set on something, there was no stopping the Lup train of thought, and he’d rather try and catch up than get run over by the whole thing.

“Maybe he really is just out at a club?” He suggests, eyes darting back and forth as Lup continues to pace. “Or he’s cleaning really late. Sometimes he gets like that.”

“No,” Lup insists again, stopping in her tracks. “I guaran-fucking-tee it has something to do with Kravitz. I just..Bar, when’s the last time you’ve seen Taako acting like this, right? He’s all  _ giggles and smiles _ after three days with this guy, any other hook up he would have rolled his eyes and told them to fuck off if they tried to contact him afterwards.”

“Okay...” Barry’s voice replies slower than intended, still playing catch up. “Is that a bad thing?”

  
“No. But it does mean we need to seriously talk to this guy at that dinner tomorrow. See if you can distract Taako for a few minutes after we eat, take Magnus with you. I’ll talk to Kravitz. Because if this really  _ is  _ different, and Taako’s super into him...we need to make sure he’s not just fucking around with my brother. Boss or not, I’m getting to the bottom of this.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first half of The Dinner Party That Changed Everything

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to split the dinner party into two chapters, because there's just a lot I want to cover and it's easier for me to write it out in smaller increments. Thanks for reading!

Magnus Burnsides has what he considers a fairly solid Sunday morning routine before moving onto whatever else he has planned for the day. This particular Sunday involved the big ‘Family’ dinner, but that wasn’t until later in the evening. Normally, that would be a cause of excitement for the big guy, but this week it gives him an increasingly alarming bundle of nerves over the whole ordeal, thanks to Lup’s announcement that Julia Waxman was now invited.

It wasn’t that he doesn’t want her there, of course! He likes Julia! ...Probably more than he’d admit out loud, actually, and he doesn’t have any particular qualms over her being involved. No, his major concern was making a complete fool of himself in front of her, and if Lup was inviting her to their  _ family _ dinner, that means Julia is going to be incorporated in a lot more things. Which was terrifyingly awesome, and would probably be a lot better if he could get up the courage to tell her that he liked her as more than a friend. Or more than a co-worker. They were friends, right? Magnus really hopes so.

Family Dinner had become a big staple about two years ago, but hadn’t really taken off as a regular monthly ritual until a little less than a year ago, when Barry had met Lucretia through the museum archives and hit it off with her once she’d successfully moved him from security and into the Archivist position. It hadn’t taken more than a few weeks for everyone else to meet her, either, and envelope her into the crazy familial dynamic the rest of them had for various reasons.

Merle Highchurch had taken in an orphaned Lup and Taako when they were kids a long time ago, and Magnus followed not too long after that. Barry had become a family staple after the young ones met him at school (and, according to Taako, after twelve long years of pining between Barry and his sister). Davenport had always been included, thanks to his lifelong friendship with Merle long before any of the kids came into the picture, and Lucretia was the newest addition to their ragtag team.

Adding someone else was always a big deal, and usually was consulted with the rest of them before popping off invitations. It seemed like Lup wasn’t playing with the rules anymore, and that was a scarier thought to Magnus than anything else, since she was always a force to be reckoned with. He’s just mulling over how to ask her about the Julia situation while completing his Sunday morning dog walk, when his phone goes off in his pocket.

“Hello?” Magnus answers, not bothering to check the caller ID before sliding it to his ear. A voice answers in response and the man visibly brightens. “Hi, Barry! What can I do for you?”

“Can you help me with something at the dinner tonight?” Barry sounds exasperated, and Magnus can practically hear him rubbing at his face through the phone. “Lup asked me to do something for her, and I can’t figure out how the hell to pull this off.”

“Pull off what?”

“How good are you at distracting Taako, usually?”

Magnus stops in his tracks, moving his phone to squint at the phone before bringing it back to his ear, humming thoughtfully. “I’m a pretty good distraction to most people. Why?”

Barry quickly gives him a brief rundown of his conversation with Lup the night before, ending with practically pleading for Magnus’s assistance with the task, because if it was up to just him, there was no way it would work. Taako is a smarter person than he let on, but with two of them working together to give Lup a chance to talk to Kravitz, they might be able to pull this off before the end of the night. After hearing the whole story, Magnus is only too happy to agree, and they spend the rest of his morning walk devising a plan to carry out later that evening.

\---

“Get your fingers away from the chili pot, or I swear to the gods I will make you an ingredient.” Taako warns, smacking Merle’s fingertips away from the stove with a wooden spoon. The dwarf winces, taking back his hand and rubbing his fingers bitterly.

“I was making sure it had the right spice!” He argues, rolling his eyes at the sudden bristled look Taako gives him in return, offended at the implication that he’d ever underseasoned anything in his life. Deciding it was better to still have hands to eat with later once everyone else showed up, Merle opts to find a seat at one of the island stools instead, propping his chin up on his hands.

Lup enters the kitchen a few minutes later, carrying a large stack of china with her that they only used for group dinners, eyes darting back and forth between her brother doing his best to continue cooking and the dwarven figure staring at him from the center of the room. She sets the stack of plates and bowls on the countertop before joining Taako’s side of the kitchen, popping a piece of zucchini in her mouth.

“Is he hovering again?” She asks, grinning at Merle across the counter and shooting Taako a look. Her brother groans in response and Lup snickers, “C’mon, Merle, you should know better by now. You’re asking to get your food fucked with at this point.”

“That’s just unfair.” Merle huffs, arms crossing across his chest. “I don’t see  _ you  _ getting yelled at for stealing food!”

Lup shrugs. “Special privileges for those who popped out of the same womb. Koko can’t cut my fingers off, he knows it would be like cutting his own off.”

Taako darts out to hit her arm with his wooden spoon and she laughs, dodging out of the way just in time to avoid a second smack, a second piece of zucchini in her fingertips. She shoots Merle a wink before adding, “Or I’m just too quick for him to catch.”

“As if!” Her brother gives another sound of indignation, struggling to keep his focus on the task in front of him. Taako’s famous chili was an absorbing task, always started several hours before dinner, and always delicious. “Take the old man out to the living room with you, Lulu. He can entertain Magnus as soon as he shows up.”

A glance at the clock showed it was just nearing six thirty, and the others would be showing up soon without fail. Davenport and Lucretia wouldn’t show up early out of respect, but Magnus had a habit of popping up to the apartment at  _ least  _ half an hour before dinner was supposed to start. As if on cue, no sooner had the words come out of Taako’s mouth before their burly companion was opening the front door and letting himself in.

“I think it rains every time we do family dinner!” He announces, shaking raindrops out of his shaggy hair and kicking his wet boots against the rug by the front door. Glancing up and spotting Merle, he suddenly pouts. “God dammit, why can’t I ever beat him here?”

“He’s been here since two!” Taako calls from the kitchen, peering around the corner to glimpse at Magnus, stirring something in his hands. “Please, do us all a favor and take us out of our fucking misery. Barry fucking bounced back to his room hours ago.”

Barry, as though the mere mention of his name had summoned him like some sort of demon, retreats into the living room back from the dimly lit hallway, giving a sheepish explanation. “I didn’t leave because of Merle. I was finishing up something for work, sorry.”

“Babe,” Lup laughs, sweeping out of the kitchen to plant a kiss on her boyfriend’s cheek. “It’s okay, we all know Merle’s got that effect on everyone.”

“Hey!”

\---

“Do we have an extra pair of guests coming?” Lucretia raises an eyebrow after arriving, watching Lup set the large table in the middle of the room while removing her coat and returning Magnus’s overenthusiastic wave of greetings. “You’re setting two extra places.”

“I invited Julia.” Lup grins, keeping a steady eye on Magnus as she speaks. “We all like her, and it’s stupid she hasn’t been to one of these before. Magnus, I’m sitting here next to you, so play nice.”

The tone in her tone is teasing, and Magnus flushes furiously, looking like he wants to say something but can’t quite muster up the words after seeing the look on Lup’s face. Lucretia coughs, hating to interrupt whatever little moment the two are having.

“But,” She frowns, “You set two extra plates, and Julia is only one person.”

“Oh, look at that.” Lup keeps her eyes down, “I guess I did. Did you happen to see Julia or Dav on your way up here?”

“No....”

“Ah, well.” Lup shrugs, blatantly ignoring the look of confusion she’s getting from both Taako and Lucretia. “They’ll turn up soon enough.”

\---

“Mags had the kid on the ground before you could even see a teacher, just standing there over this fucking dog like some kind of demonic presence. He got the shit beaten out of him, of course, but I’ve never seen a dog look so fucking grateful in my life.”

“Aw,” Julia coos over her glass of wine, leaning heavily into Magnus’s shoulder. “Magnus! You never told me you were such a little hero as a kid.”

“Yeah,” Merle snorts, “He was a regular Fantasy Superman as a kid, wasn’t he?”

“As opposed to what,” Taako drawls, feet kicked up on the table and wine swirling in his hand, “ _ You _ ? The only thing we learned from you was how to quickly leave the room when you started talking to your damn plants.”

“Well,  _ I  _ think it’s cute.” Julia continues, smiling widely at Magnus next to her, who can’t say a word. “Did you ever find the dog’s owner?”

“Uh, no,” Magnus clears his throat, finally able to find his voice. “I took him home and asked Merle if we could keep him.”

“That fucking dog was the scrappiest piece of meat we’d ever owned.” Taako mutters, taking a long sip of his drink. “He followed Magnus around  _ everywhere _ after that.”

“We used to joke that if Magnus pointed out any asshole kids after that, they’d disappear in the middle of the night and we’d find Scraps burying their bones in the backyard.” Lup laughs, gaze staying on Julia. “That dog _adored_ Mags. Don’t listen to him tell you how tough he is, he’s a fuckin’ softie.”

“I am.” Magnus admits with a shrug, quickly shutting up as soon as Julia leans closer to him again, a fond expression residing on her face. Davenport clears his throat awkwardly, seemingly wanting to say something to break the now awkward tension that had broken through the table, before the doorbell rings again and everyone looks up.

\---

Kravitz had spent the better part of an hour debating with himself on whether showing up to this dinner party was a good idea or not. While he’d technically been invited, it had been by Taako’s sister, and the last thing he wanted to do was cause any sort of rift or uncomfortable feelings in Taako himself at the sight of Kravitz being there. It wasn’t like they were officially dating or anything, and he’d been extra careful to let Taako set the pace of...whatever they were doing, in the attempts to prevent him from being scared off.

On the other hand, if what Lup said was true and Taako  _ did  _ want him present, it would be almost worse not to show up. Not to mention, it was extremely rude to agree to attend after being invited and then refuse to show up altogether. No, really, he’d had no choice but to attend, even if he did have reservations.

Kravitz would be ashamed to admit he’d spent a good three hours getting ready, which was embarrassing for something as easy as a group  _ dinner _ , but he couldn’t help it. His nerves had gotten the better of him, and trying to find the best options to piece himself together for this event was the only way he could calm himself down. Add that to the hour he’d spent at the liquor store, trying to find a bottle of wine he’d hoped Taako would even remotely enjoy (a daunting task, considering they really didn’t know each other too well at this point), and Kravitz was at the end of his rope by the time he’d reached the apartment building at the address Lup had texted him earlier.

He’d been embarrassed enough by this entire thing, that he’d actually shown up to the wrong apartment, and given an awkward apology to the young lady who answered the door in total confusion. Now, as he stands in front of this next door, he was certain he had the right number, judging from the recognizable laughter from inside. The knowledge that more than half his coworkers were inside, and he really doesn’t know any of them very well, was a nerve wracking one. He steels himself and knocks on the door.

The laughter inside the apartment ceases, and there’s a heavy pause before Lup’s voice breaks through the silence with what he could only describe as glee. Her shout of “I’ll get it!” is accompanied by the sound of a chair scraping across the floor, and followed by footsteps bounding towards him. The door is thrown open and the woman gives Kravitz a giant grin.

“Who is it?” Taako’s voice wafts over his sister’s shoulder, another scraping noise indicating he was getting up to join her at the door. “Tell them we’re busy and don’t want any Fantasy Girl Scout Co--oh!”

The shock that crosses Taako’s face should be enough to make Kravitz turn around and head back to his car in shame, but he finds himself frozen in place, staring into the elf’s face as one of his ears twitches. Lup wastes no more time, resting her chin on her brother’s shoulder before gently elbowing him.

“I invited him.” She explains, watching as Taako’s face turns to swivel at her in horror. “Quit staring like a fucking dweeb and go grab him a plate of your food, dumbass.”

  
Kravitz can tell from this whole exchange that this was going to be a  _ very  _ long night.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner Party Part 2, featuring Lup's shovel talk and Taako's slight admittance that maybe he likes Kravitz a little more than he's letting on. Even though he still won't say it aloud.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had this mostly written out for a while, but I just haven't had the time to post! I'm sorry!
> 
> I was hospitalized twice for a bit there, and that tends to suck the soul out of you. Hopefully this chapter being a little longer than my normal ones will make up for it.

The ambience in the room has taken a sudden dip as Taako stares daggers towards his sister across the table, arms tightly crossed over his chest and foot tapping against the floor. Lup has insisted on popping Kravitz into the  _ conveniently  _ empty chair on her brother’s left, and was chattering away while making sure he had a heaping bowl of food in front of him. It was clear that she was ignoring Kravitz’s awkward state as well, already having steamrolled over his polite attempt at absconding the event all together before even getting in the front door.

“Okay,” Lup finally stops fussing over the top of the table, now turning to glare in turn at everyone else sitting around it. “Everyone here is being a fucking stick in the mud. Come  _ on.  _ We all know each other! It’s not like I invited a random guy off the street or something, fuck! I’m not about to be the only person stringing this goddamn dinner along, alright?”

“What kind of wine is that, Kravitz?” Julia suddenly asks with interest, and Lup beams at her. The casual tone in her question cuts through the tension in the room like a butter knife, effectively letting the majority of the room step back into the realm of comfort again.

“Oh, uh,” Kravitz looks sheepish, eyes darting sideways at Taako again (who still looked pretty miffed about this whole thing) before pushing the wine bottle he’d brought with him onto the table. “It’s  _ Recioto della Valpolicella.  _ I wasn’t sure what everyone liked, and it’s a personal favorite of mine. I know it’s rather sweet, but--”

“It’s called what?” Magnus interrupts, “The only word I recognized in that was ‘cheeto’ and that doesn’t sound like a good wine to me. Delicious chip, though.”

“Not ‘cheeto.’ It’s  _ Recioto.  _ Retch-ee-oh-toe.” Taako’s voice pulls everyone out of their thoughts, turning to look at the elf in surprise. He seems to have relaxed considerably after Kravitz’s explanation of wine choice, his arms now uncrossed as he leans over to read the side of the bottle. “It uses the passito process to dry the grapes out on mats to concentrate the sugars before turning it into wine. This shit is like drinking chocolate covered cherries, that’s why it’s my favorite.”

“It’s not cheap either.” Barry mutters, turning the bottle over in his hand after Taako sets it back down. “The price tag is still on it, it’s like sixty bucks a bottle.”

Lup raises her eyebrow. “You bought a sixty dollar bottle of wine for a family dinner?”

“Um.” Kravitz can’t focus too much on a suitable answer, considering he's entirely distracted at the way Taako was now looking at him. The blonde has swept his long braid over his shoulder and rests his cheek in his hand against the table, staring directly at Kravitz like he could read his mind. There was obviously a bunch of gears and wires running through Taako’s brain at the moment, but the only real thing that mattered was that he suddenly doesn’t seem to mind the fact that Kravitz has sort of gate crashed their family meal.

“You have good taste.” 

The words coming out of Taako’s mouth are quiet enough that Kravitz was pretty sure the rest of the room missed the statement entirely. The moment seemed to be over, now, and Taako has turned back in his seat to continue eating like nothing was out of the ordinary. Kravitz does note, however, that the elf has taken the time to softly push their chairs closer together without anyone else noticing.

Or so he thought.

Lup and Barry exchange looks, Lup’s features stretching into a knowing smirk. 

The rest of the dinner itself goes much smoother after that, and it seems like (for the most part) Taako has guided himself into accepting the fact that Kravitz was now a part of this, though he’d definitely be having  _ words  _ with his sister later. In the meantime, he was using the opportunity to his advantage and unabashedly throwing flirtatious remarks in Kravitz’s direction every chance he could. It didn’t hurt that the rest of the crew seemed to fall into place as well, and though Taako would never admit it out loud, it definitely makes his heart pound a little louder watching the people he’d considered family welcome the almost-stranger with open arms.

\---

It was about two hours after Kravtiz’s arrival that Lup decides it's time for Operation Distract Taako so she can get a chance to talk to the guy alone. After watching the pair of them interact over dinner, she was even more convinced that her brother, loathe he was to admit anything out loud, was quickly falling head over heels for this guy, and it was her job as his twin sister to make sure Kravitz wasn’t only in it for whatever temporary pleasure he could get out of it. Taako would have done the same for her,  _ had  _ done the same for her when he’d vetted Barry before the two of them got their shit together. Payback was definitely called for, but she also just wants to make sure Taako doesn’t get his heart ripped out again.

After giving Barry a nod, Lup sits back to wait for the confirmation that her brother would be significantly distracted long enough that she can snag Kravitz without being noticed. Julia was in on it as well, after Lup had filled her in on the plan, and as much as she loved and trusted her boyfriend, it was nice to have extra backup just in case things went awry.

Barry, in turn, shoots Magnus a look. The larger man looks confused for a moment before realization seems to dawn on him with a slight “Oh!” in response. Quickly clearing his throat with a nod, he raises his voice slightly so he’d be sure Taako can hear what he's saying from down the table.

“Hey, Barry!” Magnus calls, struggling to keep the obviously suspicious tone out of his voice. “Do you still have that, uh, project you were working on?”

Lup nearly facepalms. She wants to kick herself for thinking to involve Magnus in the first place, because as much as she loves him, he's absolutely terrible at keeping secrets or doing anything covertly. Using Julia as the big guns is becoming more of a possibility with every passing second.

“Yeah, it’s back in my room.” Barry’s voice sounds casual enough, though, and they’d seemed to at least piqued Taako’s curiosity long enough that his right ear was twitching slightly. “Can’t finish it, though. My transmutation magic’s always been shit, so it’ll probably just get tossed. Ah, well.”

Taako swivels towards his basically-brother-in-law with an eyebrow poising high on his forehead. Bingo.

“Barold,” He hums in a sing-song voice. “What the fuck are you doing that needs transmutation magic?”

Barry shrugs in what seemed a nonchalant way. “I found an old recipe in one of our archive files for some kind of way to turn animal bones into diamonds. I was trying to make a set for jewelry or something, but I can’t get the actual magic part to work. Shit deal, though, it’s supposed to be color changing stuff. Match whatever you’re wearing kinda thing.”

Lup’s heart swells in admiration for her boyfriend. Even if Magnus is being far too open about something going on, Barry knows Taako well enough to know that if he includes something of interest to him, he’ll latch on immediately. She’d have to give Barry props later, after everyone else went home.

“I don’t remember seeing anything like that when we were re-organizing.” Lucretia frowns, clearly not picking up on what they were doing. “When did you find that?”

“A while ago.” Barry's sure to give Lucretia a pointed look. Something seems to dawn on her. “I put it in my bag to take it home instead of putting it away. You know me and experimentation.”

“Hmmm.” Taako’s eyes glint, “I could take a crack at it for you sometime, if you wanted? It’s not like I’m good at transmutation magic or anything. Honestly, Barold, I’m a little offended you didn’t just ask me in the first place!”

“Let’s go right now!” Magnus jumps out of his seat, quickly dashing around the table to pull Taako into a standing position.

“Woah, big fella!” Taako halts, eyes darting to Kravitz next to him. “Why are you in a fucking rush? We can do it la--”

“No, I wanna watch!” Magnus insists, gesturing to Barry so he can get up too. “It’ll take like, five minutes, come on! We’ll be back before you know it!”

“Oh my god.” Taako mutters, an apologetic look shooting towards Kravitz. “Fine. Krav, don’t go anywhere. This’ll take me like, thirty seconds, tops. Lead the fucking way, Bluejeans.”

As soon as the three boys are safely down the hallway, Lup jumps into action with a grin. “Oh man, wait! I totally forgot I left part of the dessert in my fucking car! Kravitz, come with me to grab it. We’ll be back in a second!”

She doesn’t give him much time to answer her request, already dragging him out the front door before he can so much as protest. The door slams shut behind them, leaving the rest of the guests looking stunned in their seats until Lucretia speaks up.

“This....was planned, wasn’t it?” She starts. “Lup’s interrogating him because of Taako, isn’t she?”

“Yep!” Julia confirms, a knowing smile on her face. Davenport gives a wisened nod, while Merle continues to just look confused around the table before Julia continues. “Taako won’t tell Lup what’s really going on, so she wanted to figure it out herself from the source.”

“Well, this can only end badly.” Davenport sighs.

\---

“I’m afraid I don’t understand, Lup!” Kravitz complains, following her into the apartment complex stairwell. “Is-is this a heavy dessert or something? Why do you need my assistance?”

“You know,” Lup retorts, stopping at the top of the stairs and turning to lean on the railing so she can look at him. “For a guy that’s supposed to be super smart about all the history shit we work with, you’re really fucking dense. I don’t have dessert in my car, are you kidding me? Taako would have skinned me alive.”

“Then what--?”

“I,” Lup’s eyes glint and she takes a step towards Kravitz, her arms crossed over her chest. “Have questions, boss-man. And you’re gonna fuckin’ answer them.”

Kravitz gulps thickly, suddenly increasingly nervous. This feeling was almost worse than standing outside the front door hours before, because he can’t even begin to assume where Lup is going with this, and that was more frightening than anything else.

“First,” She holds up a finger. “What, exactly, are your total intentions with my brother? And don’t bother lying, I’ll pick up on that shit and kick your ass faster than you could scream.”

“Er,” Kravitz feels his brain go numb again, static weaving in and out of his thoughts as he wracks around for an answer that seemingly won’t get him murdered, “That--I mean...what exactly are you referring to by intentions?”

“Okay, fine. I’ll spell it out for you.” Lup gives a dramatic sigh, “It’s been a really long ass time since I’ve seen Taako even remotely as happy as he is whenever your hovering around. He’s all giggles and secrets now, it’s fucking gross. He won’t fucking say shit to me about it, but I know he damn well really likes you, so I just want to make sure you’re not planning on stomping all over his heart or something stupid like that. I’ve been down that road before, I’m not fucking doing it again. So! Do you actually  _ like  _ my brother, or is he just some object for you to use until you get tired of him?”

Kravitz is taken aback. Or maybe dumbfounded was a better term for it. Several trains of thought are leaving the station, and he isn’t sure which to address first. He does at least have the feeling of knowing if he doesn’t respond soon, Lup will just as easily live up to her threat and kick his ass. There's absolutely no doubt in his mind that she could do it just as quickly as he could blink, and the thought almost makes his blood run cold. Or, it would have, if it wasn’t running cold already at the idea of just using Taako like some sort of prop. Was that the kind of atmosphere he’d been unwittingly giving off this whole time? Kravitz is actually horrified by that prospect, and doesn’t really want to consider the implications of someone actually being that much of an asshole. But Lup had said it happened before, so there obviously  _ was  _ someone around that was that much of an asshole.

“Lup,” His voice comes out pleading, “I--I can assure you I have nothing but the best intentions for your brother! I, well, I understand that our first encounter was.... _ unconventional _ to say the least.” Lup snorts. “But please, understand that I have absolutely no desire to do anything that would even come close to the idea of ‘stomping on his heart.’ I--I mean honestly, I really don’t know where we even  _ stand  _ at the moment, but I do get the impression bringing up any sort of labels or questioning would only frighten Taako off at the moment, so I’ve just been letting him set the pace. The last thing I want is to do anything that would scare your brother away, and even though I’m not entirely sure what we  _ are  _ at the moment, I can say that I haven’t felt this way about anyone in a long time. Or, ever, really, I suppose. Does-does that suffice?”

The heavy pause now filling the stairwell is suffocating, and he honestly can’t tell if Lup is simply just mulling his words over, or contemplating about ten different ways to take him out right now. Had he said the wrong thing? If he was honest with himself, this entire conversation had brought forth the questions in his own mind that he’d been purposefully avoiding until now.  _ Were they dating?  _ They hadn’t really gone on any  _ dates _ unless you counted the other night at the museum. Did that count?

It wasn’t something he’d ever wanted to ask Taako about straight up, because even after a short period of time, he can recognize that (despite his love for the center of attention) Taako was a private person when it came to this sort of thing, and the last thing he wants to do was jeopardize any part he had in the elf’s life. Eventually this would have to be sorted out, but Kravitz is nothing if not patient, and if that meant potential  _ months  _ of hook ups and late nights wandering the museum hallways just to get a chance to spend time with him, he’ll take it.

“I believe you.” Lup finally responds, relaxing her arms to her side again and flexing her fingers. Kravitz’s heart starts pounding again, not realizing it had basically stopped in the amount of time it took for Lup to come up with a coherent response. “I don’t think I need to tell you that if you somehow manage to hurt him, it’s not just me you need to worry about. You’re smart enough to figure out that every single person at that dinner would happily take a bullet for my brother if they had to, and as far as I’m concerned, you’d dig your own fucking grave and leap into it before any one of us had to get involved, right? Nobody wants to see you torn to shreds, boss-man. Keep it that way.”

There's another pause before the elf tilts her head in consideration, seemingly arguing with herself on whether to voice whatever is going through her head at that moment. Begrudgingly, she leans forward and punches Kravitz in the shoulder. He supposes (hopes) it's simply just a playful gesture, but it stings a little more than anticipated.

“And,” She adds as an afterthought, “I know Taako can be fucking stupid about talking and shit. I’ve been trying to weasel this shit out of him myself, but just trust me when I say it’s glaringly,  _ disgustingly, _ obvious that for whatever reason, he’s decided that he likes you. Just...give him time to short that shit out in his head before he realizes he’s being an idiot. It’s complicated.”

Kravitz wants to ask what she means by it being complicated, but he has the feeling the conversation is over. This is punctuated by the fact that Lup is now making her way back towards the apartment, not quite bothering to make sure he was still following her. He has to jog slightly to catch up with her, mind still reeling from the absurdity over this whole thing. He hadn’t realized that answering a Grindr message would have led to all of this. Who would have known?

They manage to make it back to the dining room before Barry and Magnus emerged with Taako in tow, none the wiser about the talk Lup had just laid down on Kravitz. Her boyfriend must have been keeping some truth to their story, because Lup definitely notices the glittering earrings that her brother is now sporting. They perfectly match the rest of his get up.

\---

For a dinner party, it was definitely dragging into ‘all night soiree’ instead. It isn’t until close to one o’clock in the morning that everyone begins to pack up, Taako and Lup playing the roles of gracious hosts to make sure everyone makes it to the front door okay. Kravitz has gotten up to gather his own coat, only to be surprised by the hand pushing against his chest to make him sit back down at the counter island he’d taken residence in after dinner.

“I didn’t say you could leave.” Taako teases as he passes, following Merle to the front door as he's getting ready to head out for the night. “You don’t work in the morning, right? Stick around, hot stuff.”

After the conversation with Lup a few hours before, Kravitz isn’t entirely in the position to decline the offer to hang around, even after the others have long gone, so he remains in his seat until he's the last one left. Taako and Lup immediately set to washing the dishes, and Barry takes the seat next to Kravitz, his eyes on the twins with a smile on his face before he turned to address him.

“How’d you know, by the way?” Barry asks, voice quiet in an attempt to prevent Taako and Lup from listening in. Not that it matters, the two of them are now bickering over some trivia question while adding soap to the sink.

“Know what?” Kravitz turns his attention from the back of Taako’s head towards Barry.

“About the wine. How’d you know it was Taako’s favorite? Did you ask Lup?”

“Oh.” Kravitz blinks, “No, actually, that was entirely coincidental. It’s actually my favorite as well.”

Barry merely hums in response, his attention turning back to the twins as they continue washing the dinner plates, still arguing. Kravitz keeps his eyes on Barry, who seems completely comfortable with the whole atmosphere. Lup and Taako fighting over who knows what seems to be a common occurrence, though it looks like Barry treats it more as endearing than anything else, and to be honest, the more Kravitz watches the whole scene, the more inclined he is to agree.

He allows his mind to wander, gaze lingering on the entire domesticity of the whole thing, and how nice it feels to be included in such an intimate moment, even if he is just peering into it for now. Despite what he’d told Lup about not really understanding where his relationship with Taako stood, he was fool enough to admit in his own head that  _ this was nice _ and something he can easily see himself falling into as if it were nothing. Scenes from years down the line flash quietly through his head before he can stop them--the twins doing dishes, Barry and Kravitz happily watching on the sidelines, conversations occasionally flowing between the four of them.

In that exact moment, Taako turns around to grab a towel off the counter, giving Kravitz a wink and a smile before turning back to finish the dishes. It's this more than anything else that makes Kravitz’s heart leap into his throat, and he's thankful that nobody asks him anything. He isn’t sure he’d be able to speak.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is short, it's mostly just a filler to get specific parts of the plot going before we get into the Heavy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You might have noticed the chapters have an official count now! Yay! I have summaries and outlines done for all the remaining chapters, plus an epilogue, so 21 in total. This means we are almost halfway there, woo!

In the few weeks following the dinner party, there was a sort of shift in any of the interactions between Taako and Kravitz. It was easily recognizable to everyone watching, even if the two involved didn’t see it, and the majority of their coworkers at the Insitute of Astral History had taken to sharing knowing glances with each other if they happened to be witnessing their conversations. Which was considerably often, considering Kravitz had taken up the habit of stopping by Taako’s bakery in the morning for a coffee and a bagel before leaving for the day.

Julia in particular was very observant to the comings and goings of the pair, something she was only too keen to point out to both Lup and Magnus whenever they were around. About two weeks after the dinner, when Magnus returned the now restored exhibit, Julia had launched into her latest tale.

“Taako  _ still  _ says they aren’t dating.” She snorts, rolling her eyes like it was a flimsy excuse. Magnus has already gotten her signature on the form he needs, but he's hanging around to listen to her story. “How do you see the same guy on a daily basis, give him free lattes every morning, spend most of your nights either with the dude or texting him, and then claim you aren’t dating?”

“I dunno.” Magnus shrugs, leaning further onto his elbows planted across Julia’s front desk. “Taako’s always been a kinda private person, y’know? Maybe he’s just fucking with all of us, and they are dating.”

“Does he think we’d never let him live it down or something? Why is having a boyfriend a bad thing?” Julia protests, “At this point that’d be better than watching the two of them hopelessly pine over each other and not do something about it. At least  _ they’re  _ sleeping together, I guess.”

“Yeah, pining is a joke.” Magnus laughs, clearly missing the secondary point that Julia's trying to make. “Who’d want to have a crush on the same person forever and not do something about it?”

There's a beat of painful silence. Julia stares pointedly at Magnus, who keeps looking down at the desk for another minute or two before sighing and straightening back up, clipboard in hand.

“Alright, Jules, I guess I should get going.” He smiles, taking a step backwards from her reception area, “Gotta get these forms turned in before five!”

Julia can't take it anymore. After almost two full years of the same routine, she was getting tired of waiting around for him to make the first move, and the last thing she wanted was to wind up like Taako and get herself in a situation where she wasn’t upfront about her feelings.

“Magnus Burnsides!” Her voice booms loudly across the lobby, a touch harsher than she’d meant it to sound, but it got the point across. Magnus pauses his steps abruptly, looking back at her with a shocked expression. She keeps it up, pointing accusingly at him. “Are you going to ask me out on a date or not?”

Magnus blanches, nearly tripping backwards over his own feet. “W-what?!”

“Seriously?” Julia narrows her eyes, her pointer finger dropping. “I can’t keep coming up with excuses to get you here, and I’ve been waiting around for months for you to say something! I am  **not** going to  _ pine _ , Magnus. So are we going out or not?”

There's another pause, mostly from Magnus wondering if he’d even  _ heard  _ her correctly, but there wasn’t anything wrong with his ears, so....that must mean.... “Yeah! Yeah, uh, do you...want to go out sometime?”

“I’d love to!”

\---

Angus McDonald is very intelligent, but there are some things that even he can’t figure out, and it was something he mostly chalked up to experience. How much experience could someone really have when you were ten years old? It wasn’t for lack of trying, that was for sure!

The first time Taako had forgotten to say good morning and slide Angus his usual blueberry muffin, the boy thought Taako might have been sick. He’d had a distracted look in his eyes all morning, kept glancing at the clock above the glass doors, and kept fixing the ends of his hair in whatever reflective surface he passed. Was he just feeling a little off, or was he waiting for something? Angus was running a little late to check in with Istus before starting his daily volunteer duties, so he hadn’t had the chance to figure it out.

The second time, though, Angus answered his own question. One of the night security guards (he thought his name might have been Kravitz?) had come in that morning, and Taako instantly slid a slice of lemon pound cake down the counter without even looking up from what he was doing. The two talked in hushed tones that Angus couldn’t make out, though he was sure to write the experience down in his notebook for safekeeping. Taako seemed nervous, his fingers kept ticking on the top of the countertop as he spoke, his ears twitching slightly and his cheeks flushing every time the security guard said something and smiled at him.

By the fourth morning that Angus had gone muffinless, he decided to take his suspicions to Lup. He’d kept very diligent notes over the past week, writing down every detail he could possibly remember, and the only solution he could comprehend was that Taako was being blackmailed for something. Why else would he be so increasingly nervous and sick looking whenever Kravitz walked in the bakery?

“Miss Lup?” Angus finds Lup in the archives, where she’s been talking to Barry and Lucretia for the better part of an hour. The boy almost wonders if he should point out that she’s supposed to be patrolling the hallways, but that’s not too important right now. “Ah, can I speak to you for a moment? If you’re not busy?”

Lup grins and gets up from where she’d been sitting on Barry’s desk, sauntering over towards Angus and putting a hand on his head affectionately. “What’s up, little man?”

“Well, it’s about your brother...”

Lup and Barry exchange glances before she nods and leads Angus out of the room, ignoring the frown that’s creasing Lucretia’s facial features. If it was important, they’d let her know later. It’s not very often that Angus seeks out Lup on purpose, and if he’s honest with himself it’s in part because he finds her intimidating. Oh, he definitely admires her, but there’s a wild streak in her that makes her very unpredictable, and that’s always a cause for worry.

“Alright kiddo,” Lup leans against the opposite wall, “Spill.”

“Okay...” Angus takes a deep breath, flipping through his notebook to find the first day he’d started observing. “I’ve happened to notice Taako becoming increasingly distracted and nervous in the mornings, for a week or so now. He doesn’t seem to pay as much attention to the bakery as he used to, and I’ve got my hunches that it has something to do with one of the security guards.”

He glances up at Lup to make sure she's still listening, and she is, though there was now a knowing smirk on her face, which was a little confusing. She gestures to him to continue his train of thought.

“I think he may be blackmailing your brother, though I’m not sure what either party is getting out of the exchange quite yet. So far, there’s been a heavy exchange of whispering and lemon cakes. I don’t know what he’s figured out about Taako, but I think if we--”

“Can I see that?” Lup interrupts to point at Angus’s notebook. He shrugs and hands it over, waiting patiently while she flips through the pages. The silence seemed almost deafening until Lup suddenly bursts into copious amounts of laughter.

“Oh man, you really wrote down  _ everything  _ didn’t you? Bar’s gonna  _ love _ this!”

“I’m sorry?” Angus blinks, “I’m more concerned about how we’re going to stop this from-”

“Angus,” Lup looks up, “Taako isn’t being blackmailed, trust me. He’s just being stubborn. Look, can I keep these? And uh, I’ll pay you like, ten dollars if you keep an eye on my brother and tell me what you see whenever Kravitz is around, okay? Just until the Gala in a few weeks.”

None of this really makes any sense to Angus, and that's more frustrating than anything else. Taako, at least as long as Angus had known him, had always been the one constant, unchanging thing about the museum, and the fact that something had seemingly changed recently was a big concern to him. But...well, if Lup was sure it wasn’t blackmail, then it had to be something else.

“Why do you need me to keep an eye on him if it’s not blackmail?” Angus squints, waiting for a response.

“Just trust me, okay? It’s important. You’ll get it when your older. I’ve gotta show these to Barry, I’ll see you around!”

With that, Lup disappears back into the archives, leaving a very confused and a very disgruntled Angus left by himself in the hallway.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Communicating is important. So is copious amounts of Fluff. This is the last filler chapter before we start getting into the Main Plot!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the change in tenses, this one is just easier to write, so the rest of the fic will be presented like this!
> 
> I am also a sucker for Taako Opens Up as a trope, so have some of that.

_ *hey hot stuff* _

_ *u still awake?* _

_ *its cool if ur not* _

_ *its like 3am so its no biggie whatever* _

_ *i was thinking about that night we spent at work when u were working* _

_ *and like* _

_ *idk just listening to u talk about all those fucking exhibits and science shit* _

_ *u know ur voice changes in pitch when u do that???* _

_ *u sound far away like ur actually there* _

_ *its kind of stupid tbh* _

_ *ur a super huge dork* _

_ *Did you text me just to remind me how dorky I am?* _

_ *oh* _

_ *ur awake* _

_ *why???* _

_ *I work graveyards, Taako. Even on my days off I can’t ruin my sleep schedule like that.* _

Time passes.

_ *A better question is why are YOU awake at three in the morning?* _

_ *what makes u think im awake rn??? u that horny for me??* _

_ *Taako.* _

_ *cant sleep* _

_ *no big deal just couldnt get that beauty rest* _

_ *Ah. Anything I can do to help?* _

_ *nah i think ill manage* _

_ *You sure? I can stop by 7-11 again...* _

_ *ooo tempting* _

_ *but no can do, kemosabe* _

_ *my sisters home* _

_ *actually* _

_ *uh* _

_ *Yes?* _

_ *can you just meet me somewhere?* _

_ *that park kitty corner to millers lab?* _

_ *A park is a little public, don’t you think?* _

_ *hah* _

_ *not for that you fuckin horndog* _

_ *just come talk to me for a bit* _

_ *Alright.* _

_ *stop by 711 though, ya boi is thirsty* _

_ \--- _

Taako is shivering on a park bench when Kravitz finds him twenty minutes later, and the elf barely offers so much as a huff before he’s jumping up to retrieve his drink from the new arrival. Silence stays unbroken between the two for what is probably longer than necessary, only broken by the sound of Kravitz moving to sit on the same bench, carefully gesturing to the empty spot next to him. It only takes Taako a second to bound back over to it and sit, fingers clenched tightly on the bench’s edges and shoes scuffling across the asphalt below them.

“The moon is very bright tonight.” Kravitz comments, and Taako turns to shoot him a look, wondering why this was the chosen conversation starter. He must have seen his confusion, because he smiles before clarifying, “I figured an observation would be a better ice breaker than asking what’s keeping you awake.”

“Oh.” Taako isn’t entirely sure what he’s really supposed to say to that, and any attempt of gratitude would sound wrong coming out of his mouth, so he opts to stay quiet instead, mulling things over. Why had he even asked Kravitz to meet him out here, anyways? Under any other circumstance, he would have trumped his way over to his sister’s portion of the apartment and jostled her awake. They would have sat in the living room with hot chocolate, no need for words between them, and eventually Barry would wake up from Lup’s absence and join them. It had always been his solution to nightmares before now, so what was different?

Kravitz.

Kravitz was different, even if he didn’t want to admit it. There was something deeply enchanting about the security guard, something that made it hard for Taako not to spill his beans about everything then and there. It was an unfamiliar sensation, and one that caused him to wrack himself with terrible anxiety over the whole ordeal. Trust and communication didn’t come easily to him, it wasn’t something he extended to non-family members, not since--

Well.

That was the reason for the nightmares, and the reason they were both sitting in the middle of the park at nearly four in the fucking morning, freezing their asses off. Taako supposes Kravitz deserves at least some kind of explanation for his erratic behavior, even if it’s not something he really wants to talk about. Then again, Kravitz had opened up about his own past before, too, right? So why was this any different?

_ Because you’re fucking terrified of feeling anything, _ He reminded himself before commanding his brain to shut up.

“It’s...complicated.” The words themselves sound like their frowning coming out of Taako’s mouth, and he’s refusing to look at Kravitz directly. Instead, there’s a fixed point, all the way on the other end of the park where he can watch the night breeze gently rock against a swing-set and pretend he’s just talking out loud to himself. “Look, if I just fucking ramble, will you keep quiet?”

Kravitz nods and pantomimes locking away his lips with a key that he then throws over his shoulder, something that Taako catches in his peripheral and can’t help but snort laughter at.  _ How the fuck is he such a  _ **_dweeb_ ** _ even in a fucking awkward conversation? _

“Right,” Taako stops laughing and grimaces before pushing himself to keep talking, “I...uh, okay. I had a run-in with someone yesterday. I haven’t seen them in a while, and it sort of threw me for a fucking loop, and obviously I’m not very good at processing emotions and shit, or we wouldn’t be sitting in a fucking park at fuck-all hours of the morning with our asses frozen solid to a bench. This...person....they, well, he sort of fucked me over a few years ago, right? Hardcore, like, not even the hot kind of fucked me. I pretty much lost everything, and I don’t even want to know what the fuck I would have done if I didn’t have my sister there at the time.”

Taako’s on a roll now, sentences flying out of him faster than his brain can keep up with. “It messed me up for a while, I was in over my head and everything was shit, and I had to sit there and listen to him patronize me for weeks, telling me it was  _ okay  _ that people got sick, that maybe I could find another fucking hobby, even though he  _ knew _ that I’d spent everything I had on making that first bakery a success. And you know the worst fucking part? I fucking  _ believed _ him. I, fuck, I don’t know! I internalized that shit, I kept thinking I’d never fucking touch another oven again. And why would I? Forty goddamn people hospitalized because of me, because I fucked up something I’d cooked!”

Taako has to pause, his breathing getting increasingly heavier as he sorts through his jumbled thoughts. Suddenly he feels pressure against his hand, and Kravitz gently lifts it away from where it’s been squishing itself numb against the wood. His skin is cool, like an ice pack, and it gives Taako the second he needs to breathe. To focus. His voice is shaking as he speaks, and he’s completely relying on Kravitz to be his lifeline for the time being.

“And then.” Taako’s voice goes soft, nearly hollow. “I’m out with Magnus, and Merle, like, two years ago. And I overhear some shit. That--the asshole that I fucking trusted, that I fucking _worked_ with, was talking to some guy at the bar about how he’d pulled the wool over someone’s eyes. That he was re-opening  _ my  _ fucking bakery under his own goddamn name, and all he’d had to do was add some extra shit to the dough when I wasn’t looking. For six years I thought I’d fucking poisoned forty people, and suddenly I hadn’t. I confronted him, fucking obviously, and he fucking....he looked at me like I was nothing. Told me that he’d been aiming to fucking get me in the hospital so he could take over the business himself, that everyone else getting sick was some fucking fluke. And I just don’t fucking get it. I  _ still _ don’t fucking get it. How can you fucking look your own goddamn boyfriend in the eye and admit you tried to poison them?”

The hand against his own squeezes again, the lifeline falling back into place. The pause between ramblings is longer this time, giving Taako the ample time he needs to get collected again before finishing up.

“I hadn’t seen him since then.” Taako mumbles, “Skipped town after that or some shit. Until yesterday. I ran into him at the fucking grocery store and now I can’t close my eyes for longer than ten minutes without watching people get rushed to the fucking hospital again. So. That’s why I can’t sleep.”

Kravitz doesn’t speak, at first, and Taako wonders if he’s fucked up, convinced that any second now, the other man is going to get up and rip his hand away. It wouldn’t be the first time someone walked out on him like that, and probably wouldn’t be the last, but the mere idea terrified him more than anything else, and he wasn’t sure why. He’d only really known Kravitz for a few weeks at best, why was the idea of him leaving so hurtful?

But he doesn’t leave.

Time keeps ticking, and Kravitz doesn’t leave.

“I can’t imagine what it would feel like seeing him again.” Kravitz finally replies, and Taako feels the air rush back into his lungs so he can breathe again. He looks away quickly as Kravitz keeps talking. “I wouldn’t have been able to sleep either, in your shoes. I...look, I know you didn’t have to, but...thank you for telling me. That can’t have been easy, but I’m sure bottling it all up isn’t good for you either. Did it help any?”

Taako has to consider that, surprised to find that it did, in fact, help any. Communicating feelings was always something of a burden to anyone other than Lup, and he never really  _ had _ to say anything to her since she just  _ got it _ . The weight being lifted off his chest was a new reality he hadn’t experienced with most people, and it was definitely something he’d have to investigate on his own later.

“Yeah.” He says in spite of himself, “I think so? Just don’t fucking tell anyone about this.”

“Of course.” Kravitz’s voice is more soothing than it needs to be, but the second he lifts his arm, Taako wiggles his way closer anyways, cheek pressed into his collarbone. “We can stay out here as long as you like.”

Taako simply hums in response, eyelids shutting against Kravitz’s jacket. He mutters something that Kravitz can’t quite understand, though he doesn’t bring it up again. Neither one is sure how long they stay on the bench, but it’s clear that it’s been a while when the sky begins turning a dull morning grey and Taako sits back up to glare at it before turning to Kravitz with a huff. His snark was back.

“Krav,” He demands, standing up and yanking the other up beside him. “It’s fucking cold as dicks out here. Take me back to whatever fucking place you call home, okay?”

Kravitz chuckles, but doesn’t protest.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time To Enter Large Plot, Kids!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I usually wait a bit between chapters, but what can I say? I have no self control, and I'm really excited to be getting into the thick of things, now!
> 
> Heads up: Things are getting pretty angsty from here on out.

The annual charity gala was fast approaching at only two weeks away, and it was crunch time for the twins. After an incident at last year’s event, Taako had convinced Istus to quit using outside caterers, and hire their services instead. Before Lup had signed on as a security guard, her only interaction with the Institute was through their catering, and even though she was working at the museum full time these days, she was still determined to help her brother out as much as possible.

It was a Saturday, two days after Taako’s late night rendezvous in the park, and the two of them were sitting in the apartment kitchen, pouring over notes strewn across the counter-top in front of them. Deciding on a menu was always a big ordeal in their household, one that caused even Barry to recognize that interrupting was a bad idea. He was spending most of the day at work, but would likely come home and head straight to his bedroom to continue working on whatever his most recent experiment was.

“We did stuffed mushrooms last year,” Taako reminds Lup, who’s tapping her pen against a blank sheet of notebook paper. “I’m not about to repeat myself two years in a row. We can do better than that, c’mon.”

“Right.” She jots down the word ‘mushrooms’ and then crosses it off before squinting up at the ceiling light. “What about Mini Tourtieres? We could do, like, three different types of fillings so people can’t bitch about not liking them.”

Taako hums, fingers drumming against his cheek. “That could work. Just don’t do a steak filling, we’re already doing bruschetta with steak and blue cheese. It’d be too much fucking steak. Thoughts on marinated olive and cheese rings?”

“Oooh, antipasto, I like it.” Another note is scribbled down.

The rest of the menu continues this way for several more hours, until it’s down to just the desserts. Since those are Taako’s specialties, Lup usually leaves the decision making up to her brother, happy to assist in whatever he determines good enough to make for a fancy event. While he’s pouring through his own recipes, Lup is going over her own thoughts, eyes staying steady against her twin while he reads.   
  
There’s a small smile plastered against his face, tiny enough that anyone else might have surpassed it and not noticed. But Lup wasn’t just anyone, and was smart enough to be pretty sure she had an idea what it was all about. She tries to remember the last time she’s seen him so  _ happy _ but draws a complete blank. It’s been years, at least, and while she knows that Taako is extremely skilled at putting on a show for everyone else, she also knows him well enough to know that this is the first time he’s actually been content in a long time. He looks as though something has locked into place, a final piece in his metaphorical puzzle, and it makes Lup’s heart swell in response.

She can’t help but ask.

“Koko, hey,” Lup nudges Taako’s shoulder, who looks up with a grunt. “Have you picked out what you’re wearing for this thing yet?”

Taako snorts.

“I’ve already had it planned for a month, don’t you fucking know me at all?”

“Well, did you at least tell Kravitz about it so you can color coordinate? I think it’d be super fucking funny if you showed up in clashing outfits, but I know that would just piss you off the whole night.”

Taako stiffens, his heart rate picking up like it had a few nights ago after spilling all his mental beans to Kravitz on a park bench. Just because he’d opened up to the guy didn’t mean they were fucking  _ dating,  _ alright? That line was still too scary to cross, and the thought was going to stay permanently shut away in the very,  _ very _ back of his brain until he decided it was one he could entertain. Lup of all people should understand that he couldn’t jump right into anything, it had taken her fucking years to seize Barry’s undivided attention. Why was she so dead set on making sure Taako had a fucking boyfriend?

“Why the fuck should I care what he’s wearing?” He mumbles, attention drifting back to the homemade cookbook he’s flipping through. “I don’t even fucking know if he’s going.”

Lup frowns. “Are you just waiting for him to ask you? Why haven’t you just fucking asked him?”

“No, I’m not waiting for anyone to ask anyone!” Taako’s voice raises slightly and he slams the book shut, shooting his sister a glare. “Why the hell would I want to go with him?  _ We aren’t fucking dating! _ ”

The instant recoiling from Lup should have tipped off Taako that he was toeing a dangerous line, but why should he care? It really wasn’t any of her fucking business who he was spending any of his time with, and he was getting really tired of everyone claiming that Kravitz was his...his...he couldn’t even think the word. Lup’s eyes darken as she gets up from her stool, pacing around to the other end of the kitchen so she can stare Taako down face to face, her palms pressed hard into the countertop. Her voice comes out barely louder than a whisper.

“ _ Are you fucking kidding me right now?”  _ Her voices raises after that, the disbelief evident in her tones. “You. Have. Spent. Every. Fucking. Free. Minute. With. This. Guy. Are you going to really sit there and fucking  _ lie _ to me right now? What the fuck do you  _ mean _ you ‘aren’t dating’?! Are you stupid?”

Taako rises from his stool too, arms crossing over his chest like he’s trying to shelter himself from something. He doesn’t owe her an explanation, he doesn’t owe anyone anything. Why did his goddamn sister have to be so nosy?!

“I mean just that! Fuck!” His voice is spitting now, unable to keep the frustration and agitation from it. “Why is everyone so...so fucking  _ obsessed _ with my goddamn love life?! I don’t need a fucking boyfriend! I’m fucking fine on my own! I don’t  _ want  _ to go to this stupid fucking gala with anyone, especially someone that I’m not fucking dating!”

His words hang heavy in the air as Lup thinks over them, wondering in horror if her conversation with Kravitz about not leading Taako on was given to the wrong person in the equation. As much as she doesn’t want to admit it, she  _ likes _ Kravitz, and she knows how good he is for Taako, even if he won’t see it for himself. But the last thing she wants is for anyone to get strung along in some pseudo-fuck-buddy-relationship without knowing it, and if that means calling her brother out on his own bullshit, so be it.

“So what the fuck have you been doing then?” She demands, “With all the time you spend together and the amount of eye-fucking, you can’t fucking tell me there isn’t  _ something _ there? I see the fucking way he looks at you, Taako! If you’re trying to tell me that this is some kind of fucked up game, that you’re just fucking stringing Kravitz along like he’s just a fucking tool in whatever you’re doing, I don’t think I need to tell you how fucking--!”

Lup is interrupted by the sound of the front door opening and Barry returning from work, and the kitchen falls silent. By the time Barry hangs his keys on the hook by the door and pads his way further into the apartment, the twins are both breathing heavily, electricity shooting between the two of them like a dangerous lazer.

“Hey guys!” Barry greets, clearly not noticing the tension in the room. “How’s the menu coming along?”

Another beat of silence. Taako bursts.

“Im going on a fucking walk! If I’m not  _ too stupid  _ for that?” He declares, removing himself entirely from the kitchen and stalking his way towards the door that Barry just came in from. “Don’t fucking wait up!”

“Fine!” Lup snaps, Barry blinks in confusion, “Have it your fucking way! But don’t come crying to me when this all bites you in the goddamn ass!”

The front door slams and Taako’s gone without so much of a response, leaving his sister standing in the kitchen with her chest heaving. A look of exhaustion momentarily crosses Barry’s face as he debates with himself whether this is even worth getting involved in, but once he catches Lup’s expression (who looks dangerously close to tears) he decides he has to risk it. Maybe he should have just called in sick this morning.

“Uh,” He clears his throat, “Lup? Babe? What...what’s going on?”

Lup throws her hands up and lets out what can only be described as a shriek, causing Barry to jump in place. Even though it’s not him she’s angry with, being on any side of her when she’s mad like this is a force to be reckoned with. He’s quick to try and retract his statement.

“If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine.” He assures, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. This seems to relax her slightly, and she lets go of the fingers she’d been clenching together. “He’ll come back, you know he will.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about.” Lup admits, finally turning her eyes to her boyfriend’s. She looks more worried than she’s been in ages. “He’s just....he’s being wreckless. And really fucking stupid. I literally don’t think he’s fucking realized how badly this is going to burn him if he doesn’t get his head out of his ass. I was willing to deal with it for a few weeks, like, most relationships have those early jitters. But this is fucking ridiculous! All I did was ask if he was going to the goddamn gala with Kravitz and he--”

“Ah.”

Barry’s cough pulls Lup from her stupor and she raises an eyebrow at him, clearly interested in whatever he’s thinking.

“What?”

“Well...c’mon, Lup, you know your brother.” Barry shrugs, “He’s never been the type to outwardly admit what he’s feeling, even to you most of the time. I think he’s just trying to deal with his own feelings himself before he’s ready to confront them head on. You....well, we were all there last time, I can’t really blame him for not wanting to go down the same path.”

“Not that I don’t think he’s being stupid!” Barry is quick to add, catching the look on his girlfriend’s face. “I just think it might be better if we left it alone. I’m pretty sure Kravitz is working that night, anyways. I don’t think he’s going to be there.”

“Yeah, no, fuck that.” Lup glares towards the front door, already scheming. “Taako just needs a  _ gentle push _ in the right direction. I’m going to talk to Raven tomorrow.”

“Uh, why?”

“Because Kravitz is going to that fucking gala, even if it kills me.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First introduction of Queenie with speaking lines here! Also Lup continues to meddle where she probably shouldn't!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After the tense change in the previous two chapters, I'm likely going to go back through the old ones and change them just so they match up, just as a heads up! It'll bother me a lot if it's not cohesive, but it won't change anything to the storyline that's already been written!

Getting called into Raven’s office is not how Kravitz wants to start his Monday, even less so when he arrives and his boss is staring at him with a knowing glint in her eyes from behind her desk. He has half a mind to turn around and walk right out the door without even bothering to even start the conversation, but he seriously doubts he’d get away with it. There’s no way of stopping her once she’s set her mind on something, and it’s best to just get it over with and see what she wants.  
  
  
“Yes?” Kravitz asks, his voice hesitating. He doesn’t think he’s done anything to warrant getting reprimanded, but he’s still unsure enough that the last week is running through his head to go over possible mistakes. Unless...? No, he was careful enough the night Taako was with him, the cameras wouldn’t have caught any of that. “Er...is something wrong?”

“Kravitz.” Raven offers a large smile, gesturing to the cushy leather seat on the other side of her desk. “Please, take a seat. This won’t take long.”

Another pang of worry runs through Kravitz’s chest, if she was asking him to sit down, it must be something important she wants to go over with him. Usually their conversations are short and to the point, they’ve never really had to have a talk sitting down across from one another beyond the first time she’d met him and offered him the position as head of security here. He takes the seat with caution anyways, waiting for Raven to continue her train of thought, especially since he’s still unsure what any of this has been about.  
  
  
“Kravitz,” She words carefully, splaying her fingers against each other as her elbows rest on the desk. “How long have you and I been associates?”

“Um.” Kravitz’s mind goes temporarily blank. “It’s...well, it’s been several years at this point, hasn’t it? Almost a decade?”

Raven’s smile softens. “It’s been thirteen years, Kravitz. I assume you understand the level of trust I have for you, no? That I consider you something akin to family after all these years of taking you under my wing. You’ve always had my utmost faith in your job here, and both Istus and I have been immensely grateful for everything you do.”

He has absolutely no idea where this conversation is going. If anything, Raven’s statements are just making him more confused as every second ticks by, how is he supposed to respond to this? It partially sounds like he’s either being fired, or given some kind of raise or promotion, and he’s not quite sure he’s deserved either of them, if he’s being honest.

“I-I’m sorry,” Kravitz apologizes with a frown, “I may be missing some context here, and admittedly I really have no idea where this conversation is going.”  
  
  
His boss laughs, sounding less like an awkward segway into the point of this discussion and more like disbelief--like she’s amused he doesn’t understand where any of this is coming from. Raven moves her elbows from the desk and stands up to join Kravitz on the other side, leaning against it casually.

“Fair enough,” She muses, “I suppose all this beating around the bush is only going to cause more confusion. I had a conversation with one of our newer employees yesterday evening, and she expressed some concerns about you overworking yourself and a lack of time for your, ah, how do I put this...newly discovered personal life?”

There’s a heavy pause in the air at these words, and Kravitz blinks. At first, he’s utterly baffled over the idea of anyone expressing any sort of concern about him to their  _ boss, _ especially using the words ‘newly discovered personal life’...until it hits him. It’s Lup. Lup would absolutely do this, there’s no doubt in his mind. When she’d mentioned something to him about ‘fixing things’ he had no idea that meant  _ talking to the museum directors about it.  _ Did Istus know about this, too? He knew she handled more of the business aspects, like the gift shop and Taako’s coffee shop, as well as any of their outside contractors, but he also knew that Raven would immediately discuss any sort of these matters with Istus without hesitating. 

“I am not blind, you know.” Raven continues, and the amusement in her voice grows. “Most people don’t see me outside of this office, but I do keep tabs on everyone that works here, and it isn’t difficult to notice when your head of security begins making daily stops at the cafe on his way out the door in the mornings.”

Kravitz feels his face flush, and knows he’s sinking further down into the leather chair he’s currently occupying. He’d had no idea that being called into the office this morning would result in having to talk to his boss about personal information. He still couldn’t come up with any sort of response, leaving Raven to continue filling in the gaps.

“I’m not angry, Kravitz, please don’t misunderstand.” She explains, “There’s no rules here about dating your coworkers, as long as you can keep things professional. It would be largely hypocritical for us to make that sort of call when Istus and myself are rather personal ourselves. I am simply wondering why you’ve never mentioned it to me before, or asked for any sort of time off for this sort of thing. Lup explained that the Gala coming up soon would be difficult for her brother if he wasn’t able to spend a bit of time with you there. So, I’m asking you outright. Would you prefer to have the night of the event off so you can enjoy the evening with Taako?”

Time ticks again, it previously having been standing still, and Kravitz feels his shoulders start to relax, even though this entire morning has been bizarre. He knows there’s no reason for all this fanfare, considering Taako had been very clear that they  _ weren’t dating _ so there was no way they’d be attending the event together at all. This was all a misunderstanding, and one he could fix before it blew out of proportion.

“I, uh,” He coughs, “Well, to be perfectly candid, ma’am, there’s no reason to pull me off security that evening. I sincerely doubt there’s a chance of us attending  _ together _ when it’s been made clear that we aren’t...well, exclusive. I’ll admit we’ve, uh, ‘hung out’ a while outside of work this past month or so, but we aren’t dating or anything like that. So...if that’s all? I really see no reason to remove me from security detail, just like all the years before now.”

The glint in Raven’s eyes is back, a bemused expression crossing her face. She looks like she doesn’t entirely believe his explanation, but he knows she isn’t going to push the issue if he’s uncomfortable with it. With a sigh, she stands up entirely, arm gesturing towards the door to her office and giving him permission to leave. Kravitz stands up and she clears her throat, clearly having a bit more to say.

  
“I’ll keep you as security for the event, then.” She nods, but it looks mischievous. “However, as Lup has already offered to lead the detail that evening, I will be rotating the both of you through a few shifts. This gives you both the chance to enjoy the event as well. It’s my desire that you enjoy the evening, with or without this boy you’re ‘not dating.’”   
  
There’s an emphasis on the last sentence, and Kravitz knows that she in no way believes that there’s nothing going on between Taako and himself, but at this point arguing about it seems to be a lost cause. Kravitz nods instead, and leaves the room, his mind made up that he’s going to have to have a conversation with Lup about this.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so unbelievably sorry for my disappearance! Things have been crazy hectic in reality, and I just honestly haven't had the time to write as much as I wanted to.
> 
> This chapter is a little shorter than normal, just to get back into the swing of things!

“I can’t believe you told Raven you’d still work the stupid charity ball!” Lup complains as she finds Kravitz at work the next night, “Do you even _know_ how much of a pain it was convincing her that I could handle security by myself?”

“Well,” Kravitz hums, turning to raise an eyebrow at her after he finishes clocking in. “While we’re on the subject, what on earth made you feel like you had to press that I needed a night off? I’ve been working the same event for eight years, nothing changed about this one.”

Lup laughs and holds up her hand to protest. “Incorrect, dude. Firstly, when’s the last time you even _had_ a night off? Not including your weekend, that shit doesn’t count. Secondly, no offense, but I don’t really wanna exist in a world where my brother throws an absolute _fit_ because you’re fucking working and not drooling over him all night.”

“What?”

  
  
“Pleeeeease don’t be this dense right now.” She shakes her head with a grimace. “I don’t care if you’re not ‘technically going together’ or whatever the excuse is. You’re both going to be there, working or not, and if you focus on security the entire time instead of telling him how good he looks and dropping your jaw to the ground, he’s going to be upset.”

  
  
Kravitz doesn’t really know how to respond to that, though he doesn’t necessarily doubt any prowess that Taako possesses when it comes to decking himself out. The Institute’s Gala event was always incredibly classy, and most attendees took their time to completely dress to the nines, there was no question that Taako would do the same, even if he was technically catering the whole thing.

“I...” He clears his throat, avoiding any and all eye contact with the woman in front of him who’s impatiently tapping her foot. “Well, I don’t think it’s really necessary to _assume_ I wouldn’t be impressed by whatever he’s decided to wear. Your brother spends time primping on a daily basis, it would be rather foolish of me to think a charity ball would be anything less than over the top.”

Lup takes a second to mull over his response before nodding, shifting her position to lean against one of the museum pillars. The Institute is in the process of closing for the evening, and the only remaining patrons left are making their way towards the exit, leaving an easy opportunity for her to be having this conversation with Kravitz in the first place.

“He’s had his outfit planned for months,” She confirms, “A big extravagant number. I don’t know what you’re planning on already wearing, and honestly under any other circumstance, I really couldn’t give a shit, but what I was thinking was--”

“Hang on.” Kravitz interrupts with a frown, eyebrows furrowing. “I’m just going to wear my uniform.”

There’s a heavy pause that fills the air shortly after, almost like Lup can’t even fully understand the words she just heard coming out of his mouth. Kravitz doesn’t seem to grasp the severity of the situation like she does, and she has half a mind to just leave it alone and let him deal with the consequences. But. She loves her brother, even when they’re bickering like they are right now, and she knows him well enough to know what will end up bothering him. Even if he doesn’t.

  
  
“Oh boy.” She mutters, “We’re going to need more help than I thought. Okay, listen. This is how it’s going to work. You can’t wear your uniform to a fucking high society soiree, and I know you know how to clean up nice. Before work tomorrow, I’ll send Barry with you to go get something that’s going to look nice. He’ll make sure to keep you on task. Just ignore him when he recommends denim or my brother will physically kill you. Got it?”

It doesn’t really seem like Kravitz is getting much of a choice in the matter, so he simply nods, unsure how this conversation took a turn in this particular direction. The rest of the shift overlap with Lup goes fairly well, but he's still relieved by the time she clocks out for the night. She's sure to remind him of the plan tomorrow, and gives specific instructions on where to meet her boyfriend and at what time. Like Kravitz, Barry doesn't seem to have much of a choice in the matter either. Ah, well. Maybe it's something they can mutually bond over.

\-----

Barry, to his credit, seems a lot more relaxed about this entire thing than his girlfriend does. He’s entirely beams and pleasantries when he meets up with Kravitz the next day, and the entire thing feels less awkward than Kravitz would have expected by the time they make their way towards the shopping district.

Conversation flows relatively easily between the two of them, and he’s surprised to find that he actually has more in common with Barry than he would have figured. They share a love for history and science, though Barry’s tends to slide a bit more into the ‘overly eccentric experimenting’ type than Kravitz does. Briefly, he wonders in amazement at how many people he’s starting to consider ‘friends’ as a result of meeting Taako in the first place. Compared to the reclusive workaholic he’d been until now, this was a massive step in the other direction.

“You...don’t do this very often, do you?” Barry asks suddenly as he’s opening the door to one of the nicer shops.

Kravitz looks confused. “Shop for suits? Actually, I think you’ll find most of my wardrobe is--”

“No, not that.” Barry laughs. “Actually, it’s been a topic of conversation for a while. Lup is still convinced you don’t actually own a regular shirt. No, I mean you don’t usually do things with other people very often. Outside of work.”

“Ah.” Kravitz shifts uncomfortably, still not quite sure how honest he should be with someone that he really has only started having conversations with outside of work over the past few weeks. Still, he gets the impression that out of anyone, Barry might understand where he’s coming from more than most. “Not really. I don’t usually have so much free time, this is a new thing. I really only started doing things away from the museum after- well, after meeting Taako.”

Barry nods sagely, almost like he’d been in the same situation many years ago. Maybe he had, Kravitz wasn’t too privy to any real information on his relationship with Lup, aside from knowing they were together at all.

“I think they have that effect on everyone.” His fingers gesture to a navy blue waistcoat, trying to remember Lup’s specific instructions on clothing options. “Lup and Taako tend to have a way of pulling people out of their shells, even if it’s not intentional. Actually, it was Taako that convinced me to get on the right track with his sister in the first place.”

“Really?” Kravitz is intrigued, though he knows he has no real demand to any of this information being thrown at him. But he can’t help but be curious, especially when Taako had been adamant about _not_ labeling what was going on between the two of them. That didn’t seem to be the case when it came to Lup.

Barry must have seen the look on his face, because the museum archivist offers a familiar ‘I know what you’re thinking’ smile and clarifies his train of thought. “I know. I thought it was weird, too. But hey, take it from a guy who knows Taako more than he thinks I do. He knows how to do the right thing, it just...takes him longer to get there with himself, sometimes. It was easier for him to make judgement calls on something going on with Lup, because he was looking at the situation from a third party perspective. It’ll work out, though. I mean. You do like him, right?”

“I-yes, of course.” Kravitz answers in a bit of a rush before thinking back over the weight of the question at hand. Heart thumping steadily in his chest, he knows if he’s going to get any of this off his chest, now is the time to do it. There’s something about Barry Bluejeans that’s reassuring in all the best ways, and he’s confident that their conversation won’t make its way to anyone who doesn’t want to hear it.

“Taako, he...” He stumbles at first, trying to find a way to voice what he means. “Brings out a lot in me, I think. Feelings and emotions I never really thought I’d experience, I suppose. He’s extremely eccentric, and while I know I can fall into the overdramatic tendencies myself, it’s a different matter all together with him. But not in a bad way! He’s got an interesting outlook on life, and I just. Well. I just want to be a part of it, however he wants me to be.”

“I figured as much.” Barry nods, pulling a set of cufflinks closer for inspection before tucking them safely into Kravitz’s arms. Another item checked off on the mental list Lup had given him. “Nobody really sticks around after dinner to listen to the twins bicker over dishes if they aren’t invested. I think it’ll be okay, though. Just give him time to sort through his own head, he’s got a lot of mental walls to work through first. I mean, it took Lup and I years to get it together, I don’t think it’ll take you guys as long as _that._ ”

Kravitz laughs, and finds himself feeling lighter than he had going into this shopping trip.

The rest of their adventure is filled with ordinary conversation, and by the end of it, Kravitz finds himself the new owner of an outfit worthy of catching the attention of someone who’s well known for being dramatic. But he also finds himself comfortable with the idea of calling Barry a friend, and that alone is worth the gold spent. He has no clue how the night of the Gala is going to go, and he has a week to figure it out, but for now? For the first time in the last few months of whirlwind romance, Kravitz feels like things are going to be okay.


End file.
